Defender Giorgio Chiellini believes a “more mature” Juventus will not underestimate Monaco in their Champions League quarter-final, first leg on Tuesday
Juventus host the French league high-flyers in Turin aiming to build up a lead ahead of the April 22 return leg.
Chiellini, who will only find out on Tuesday afternoon whether he will be part of a flat back four or a three-man defence, believes Juve have grown since being ousted at the same stage in 2013 by eventual winners Bayern Munich.
“I think we’ve grown a lot as a squad compared to two years ago,” Chiellini, 30, told reporters in Turin on Monday.
“The feeling we have is different compared to two years ago. We’ve grown and matured and I believe we’re ready to achieve something great.”
Monaco have not featured at this stage of the Champions League since the 2003/04 season when they went all the way to the final before being humbled 3-0 by Jose Mourinho’s Porto.
But Monaco aim to leave their mark, having swept Arsenal aside 3-1 at the Emirates before securing their place in the last eight on the away goals rule following a 2-0 defeat at the Stade Louis II.
“They might not have played their best football in recent years but Monaco have a mix of players with lots of international experience and younger players who have improved a lot,” added Chiellini.
“There’s no question of us underestimating them.”
The big question now for Juve fans is whether coach Massimiliano Allegri will opt for a 3-5-2 formation, or the 4-3-1-2 that he has deployed for most of this campaign.
Both defender Andrea Barzagli, who has muscle fatigue, and midfielder Andrea Pirlo remain doubts and their respective availability will determine how the Juve handler lines up his side.
“I have to decide if two of them, one of them or neither of them plays. We have our last training session tomorrow morning, then I’ll decide,” said Allegri, who believes one of the keys to a last four place will be showing patience.
Monaco are third in the French top flight and have one of the most formidable back fours in Europe this season having conceded just 22 goals domestically and four in their last eight Champions League fixtures.
Allegri believes that is no coincidence under coach Leonardo Jardim.
“It was a bit of a surprise to see Monaco at this stage, but they deserve to be in the quarter-finals. They have a very tight defence both at home and in Europe, and they have a great coach who is quite cunning,” said Allegri, whose side booked their last eight place with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Borussia Dortmund.
“Tomorrow, more than anything, we need patience because in all likelihood the tie won’t be decided tomorrow night in Turin.
“When you come up against a side that concedes few goals, it’s harder…. so you need patience and humility to know that you’re up against a defensively strong side.
“For us it won’t be easy to reach the semi-finals if we don’t have the same mental and technical approach that we had over the two legs against Dortmund.”