Focus, determination and hunger are the key ingredients that were underlined in today’s press conference when Maurizio Sarri and Leonardo Bonucci took the stage. Both Coach and player spoke about what was needed from the team in order to overturn the 1-0 deficit, all while previewing tomorrow’s fixture set to take place at Allianz Stadium.
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Here is what they had to say.
SARRI: “A GREAT PERFORMANCE IS NEEDED”
“Tomorrow will be a game that we will need play with a clear head. A great performance is needed, Lyon has grown a lot and become solid defensively. Higuain and Pjanic? They are two players on the rise. Ronaldo is training in the right manner, yesterday he scored an excellent goal in training. He played many games in a short time, he rested a little and now he has trained with intensity and strength.
“We will try to recover Dybala up until tomorrow morning, at the moment he’s still training with the medical staff. Cuadrado will most likely start from the first minute, let’s see whether it is from the defenisve line or in a more attacking position.
“Playing without fans, even tomorrow, will not be pleasant. The most important competition in the world, the Champions League, would need it even more. Let’s hope that the right conditions will soon be in place in order for fans to return.
“Lyon defends with intensity and efficiency and counter-attacks really well. The result of the first-leg allows them to set the game according to their characteristics. It will be a very difficult game, but not an impossible one.
“We are happy to have won possibly the most difficult Serie A in history. Now it would be great to go to Portugal and play the Final 8 as it would mean entering the world’s élite.”
