Serie A Matchday 17 sees Juventus travel to Monza at 20:45 CET on Sunday 22 December 2024, for their last match before Christmas.

Head coach Thiago Motta shared his thoughts with the media on the challenge that lies ahead against the Brianzoli.

MONZA

“We’ll be coming up against a good team with a good coach tomorrow (Sunday 22 December) and, as always, we’ll have to put in a strong performance. We’ll play with great determination and commitment to try and seal the points. If Monza keep it tight, it’s up to us to find spaces so we can create and put away any chances we make. I always hope to see positive signs, not just in terms of our progress but in everything we do.

TEAM NEWS

“Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, Arkadiusz Milik, Jonas Rouhi, Timothy Weah and Douglas Luiz are all definitely out. Luiz’s situation is different to the other players who are unavailable. I could have included him, but I want all the players to be at their best so I’d prefer not to rush him back too soon. We’ll be assessing Andrea Cambiaso today.

PLAYERS

“Every selection we make is for the good of the team. Manuel (Locatelli) has a unique ability to adapt and read the game, even in training. We know we can rely on him if we need him to play in a deeper position. We spoke before the Cagliari match, and he said he was more than ready to play centre back. The answers he gave were great.

“Nicolo Fagioli is doing well. He will definitely be in the squad tomorrow and we’ll decide whether he’ll start or come off the bench.

“Nico Gonzalez is ready to start. He has played a number of roles in his career – top players can often play in almost any position. Wherever he plays, he’ll no doubt be important for the team.

“The same applies to Kenan (Yildiz) as it does for Nico, because he is a great player, as well. Yildiz has done very well wide left, but he has also played very well centrally, off the striker. He has also played in the number ten role and could play wide right. Wherever he plays on the pitch, he will add value for us. We’ll see tomorrow whether he starts or comes on to feature at some point.”