Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the media on the eve of the match against Panathinaikos.
The boss said, “We’ll try to get a result but it’s not a game we must win at all costs as we’ve already qualified as one of the top 24. If we can get into the top eight and avoid the play-off round, we’d be even happier of course, but at this stage of the season Serie A is clearly the priority. Nonetheless, we’ll go out there tomorrow to do our very best.”
“I can’t tell you the team today. I never do that, and certainly not today. Dybala came out of the Milan match with a minor knee complaint. He was much better yesterday. Today he still has a bit of a twinge. We’ll look at him tomorrow.”
“The attack? Dovbyk had to go under the knife so he’ll be out for months. [Antonio] Arena is a 16-year-old boy who had a wonderful debut and scored, but he certainly wasn’t part of our initial plans. Then there are some unusual situations: [Donyell] Malen has just joined us and he’s not on the [UEFA] list. What really is a real shame is [Evan] Ferguson’s injury as he got injured in the last minute of the game against Stuttgart. He hasn’t been very lucky.”
“From the beginning, our aim was to do well in every competition: Serie A, Europa League and Coppa Italia. The goal was always to do the best we could in all of them. We started our European campaign with two defeats – one of which was quite extraordinary, with three missed penalties. But like in the league, we’ve improved over the course of the season, especially in terms of the quality of our football. We’ve had more problems scoring goals and creating dangerous openings, but I think we’re producing a lot more now – while maintaining our excellent defensive stability – and we’re getting some great results.”
“The transfer window means you can buy and sell at the start of January but the European squad lists are set in stone. That’s the result of the format that’s been adopted in this second year. I think it will need to be looked at because otherwise you risk going into decisive matches like tomorrow’s with precarious squads. It can happen that some players have left and others have joined who can’t play. It’s definitely an area where action needs to be taken.”
“Panathinaikos are a good team who have done really well in Europe. They’ve struggled a bit more in their domestic league but they’re a well-drilled side with a good shape. Like us, they’ve had a few problems with their squad. We’ll obviously do everything we can to go through because we’ve got to the last match and it’s normal to want to be up there in that group. That said, I’m not worried about potentially having to play an extra round. We’ve improved by playing games and the number of games we’ve had to play has helped us to improve our quality. I don’t see a potential extra round as a huge problem.”
“Rafa Benitez? We have a good relationship. We haven’t spent a lot of time together but we’ve got to know each other over the years. He’s undoubtedly a fantastic professional, a coach who has been successful in lots of different countries. It will be nice to see him again and say hello. In any case, it’s going to be a nice battle.”
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