Juventus-Lecce Open To Supporters

Juventus will be able to play Sunday’s match against Lecce in front of its supporters. The High Court of the sport authorities of the Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) accepted the appeal by the club against the decision by the sport judge who had decided that the match should be played behind closed doors following chants against Inter player Mario Balotelli.

The execution of the decision was suspended until the 15th of May and a new hearing was scheduled for May the 14th.

Juventus expressed its satisfaction for the sentence passed which confirms the basis of the appeal presented.

Thus, the public will be able to enter the Olympic Stadium to watch the match against the salentini. The ticket sale will begin tomorrow Friday 1st May only via the internet. As from Saturday the public will be able to purchase tickets from the usual ticket booths and on Sunday as from one hour before kick-off from the ticket booths at the Olimpico. The prices will be announced early tomorrow morning.

Juventus.com

Lega Calcio Serie A Is Born

Nineteen Serie A teams (amongst which is Juventus) have today decided to found the “Lega Calcio serie A”, conferring this scope by mandate to Dr Maurizio Berretta. The decision was taken – continued the statement – as a consequence to the impossibility of reaching and agreement with serie B clubs.

The decision by the 19 serie A teams is a confirmation of the European scenario: it should therefore be read and interpreted as a normal part of the evolution towards the more modern lines of professional football. It is directed to evaluating all the sector’s components beginning from the serie B as a supporting category.

Juventus.com

Chiellini: "I Will Play Against Milan"

"The recovery programme foresees my return to working with the team in the coming days to be in full force by Tuesday or Wednesday and therefore on the field against Milan. If there are no further problems I will be at the San Siro".

The words of Giorgio Chiellini are comforting. The defender is aiming for the big match against the rossoneri but is no underestimating Sunday’s match against Lecce. Giorgio will not be there but the bianconeri must aim for the full points:

"A match like the one against Milan has always a special taste but it is only right that my team-mates concentrate on the match against Lecce because it is very important for us to end this championship well. The words of the proprietors were significant and reflect the thought of each and every one of us because we want to do well independently from the place in the table we will achieve. Surely, we will try to win back the second place but what interests us most is ending the season well".

Giorgio then tries to explain the reasons behind the difficulties encountered by Juventus in the last period:

"I think there are a number of reasons: we hoped we could fight for the scudetto and reach the Coppa Italia final. Perhaps having missed our first objective after the matches against Chievo and Genoa, it was hard to get back to the mentality which has always accompanied us and perhaps against Lazio we paid the price for the negative period".

"Getting back is always difficult even because we saw our primary objectives vanish quite suddenly: first the Champions League, then the championship and then the Coppa Italia. However now we really want to get back, because we at Juventus are not used to not winning for a month. We want to react, for ourselves, for the supporters and for the club".

Chiellini’s last thought is dedicated to the supporters’ unhappiness: "It is normal that they show they’re disappointment but we are the first to be disappointed. We can promise the maximum effort to end the season well and reach the second place and to start off in a better way next season".

Chiellini then participated in Filo Diretto on Juventus Channel, the programme which connects the viewers with the Juventus champions. Many were the questions received via JuventusMember.com. On the Juventus community website one can view the video with all of Giorgio’s answers.

Juventus.com

Trezeguet Back With The Group

Juventus continue to prepare for Sunday’s match against Lecce. The bianconeri trained in the morning observed by general manager Jean-Claude Blanc. Tiago, Knezevic and Marchisio worked in the gym. Salihamidzic who got back on the field yesterday, today underwent physiotherapy. Chiellini worked separately while David Trezeguet returned to training regularly with the group after having recovered from influenza.

After a warm-up and ball exercises session the team was divided into two group. Iaquinta, Del Piero, Nedved, Camoranesi, Mellberg, Grygera and Molinaro were busy with one-on-one work ending in shots at goal with Gigi Buffon as keeper, while the rest of the troupe together with De Paola played a mini-match against a team made up of Primavera and Berretti elements.

Juventus.com

30-4-09 Juventus News

Chiellini: Juve Deserve Second
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Don't Blame Me For Juventus Failures - Gianluigi Buffon
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Buffon Coy On Juve Future
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Juventus Will Bounce Back Against Lecce – Sebastian Giovinco
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Lippi Rules Out Juve Return
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Juventus Haven't Told Me To Sell David Trezeguet - Super Agent Ernesto Bronzetti
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Canna Set For Juve
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Canna: “I'm Not A Traitor”
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Werder Bremen’s Diego: Juventus Have Made Me An Offer
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Udinese Stars Quagliarella & Di Natale Flattered By Links To Juventus & Milan
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Juventus Make New Approach To Schalke For Rakitic
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Juventus, New Target From Holland
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Genoa Chief Enrico Preziosi: Juventus Want Diego Milito
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Juventus Have To Speak With Genoa For Giandomenico Mesto - Agent
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Rossi Surprisingly Linked With Juve
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Italian League Split Planned After Disagreement
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Andrea Zanchetta: Lecce Fully Concentrated On Juventus
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Blog: Cont Him Out
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Top 10 Italian Kids
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Primavera, Last Effort Before The Final 16

There is still one match left before the end of the regular season of the Primavera championship but Maddaloni and his boys can sleep soundly in view of the away match against Sassuolo on Friday 1st May: the team has already assured itself of the first place thanks to the victory on Saturday against Siena.

What remains now is to find out who will be the opponents in the final 16. Before the finals between 8 teams which will begin on the 8th of June in Trentino, there is one more hurdle to overcome: a two-legged encounter.

Juventus, assured of the seeding, will play the first match away on the 16th of May and the possible opponent will be drawn amongst the 8th team who end between the 3rd and 5th place and the best 6th from all three groups.

The bianconeri will definitely not be able to be drawn against teams from Group A, whereas they can be drawn against Albinoleffe, Udinese or Treviso from Group B. An attempt to guess the opponents from Group C is more difficult with the only real possibility at the moment being that of Reggina who finished 4th. The fight is harder for the 5h and 6th place: Ascoli, Napoli, Catania and Fiorentina are divided by a three point margin and will be fighting till the very end for a place in the final 16.

Talk of the Primavera, of the regular phase and of the possible rivals of the bianconeri will be featured in the weekly appointment with Springtime on Juventus Channel. This time there will be a special guest in the studio: Carlo Pinsoglio.

Juventus.com

Giovinco: "We Have To Make-Up Against Lecce"

Juventus is preparing for the match against Lecce, a match in which the bianconeri must give a clear sign of improvement as compared to the last few matches and above all win the three points.

It will not be an easy match, however: the Pugliesi are in a full struggle not to be relegated and need to move the table. Besides, in the first round they showed they definitely are not an easy team to beat, managing to create some difficulties for the bianconeri in the first half and going close to the equaliser at the end of the match.

The match winner was scored by Amauri with a great header but before the Brazilian it was Sebastian Giovinco who showed his abilities. The Juventus young talent, who was in the starting line-up, not only left the Lecce defence mesmerized on a number of occasions thanks to his dribbling and feints, but also scored the opener by means of a magnificent free-kick which marked his first goal in the Serie A wearing the Juventus jersey – a great feeling, which he has since put behind him.

Giovinco sees Sunday as an occasion to get back up and get over the difficult moment: "We must try to make-up after the last matches – he said on Juventus Channel – It will not be easy but we must do all we can. There will not be the public but this should not be an alibi. We must pretend that our supporters are close by. It is a particular moment but we will try to overcome it with a beautiful victory".

Juventus.com

Closed Stadium: Juventus Turns To High Court

In relation to the decision of the Federal Courts of Justice pronounced on the 28 April 2009, seeing the absence of reasons for Juventus to be convinced of the sentence imposed, the club filed an urgent request in the High Court of Sport Justice to suspend the decision .

Juventus.com

Salihamidzic Back To Running

Juventus today, had their first of our morning sessions scheduled for this week. With the exception of Tiago, Marchisio and Knezevic who worked in the gym, and of Trezeguet who stayed at home because of influenza, all the other players were on the field.

Chiellini and Ekdal worked on a separate session, just like Hasan Salihamidzic who got back to running after the operation to the meniscus he underwent on the 8th of April following the injury suffered during the match against Chievo.

Amauri, who has recovered from fever, Legrottaglie and Molinaro joined the group who after a warm-up took part in technique exercises and a mini-match on a reduced field without goalkeepers. This last phase of the session did not see the participation of the fullback who was operated to his left hand on Monday following a fracture.

Juventus.com

29-4-09 Juventus News

Juventus Make Second Appeal Against Stadium Ban
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Trezeguet To Miss Lecce Match With Flu
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Claudio Marchisio Agrees Juventus Must Improve
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Elkann Drops Lippi Hint
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John Elkann: Five Matches For Claudio Ranieri To Turn Things Around At Juventus
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Juve Want Diego, Says Allofs
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Juve Renew Alonso Interest
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Xabi Alonso’s Agent Rubbishes Juventus Link
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Sergio Floccari Will Only Go To Juventus If David Trezeguet Leaves - Agent
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Bari Coach Antonio Conte Favourite To Replace Claudio Ranieri At Juventus
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David Trezeguet Could Join Inter
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Thuram Agrees With Ban
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Club Focus - Juventus - I'll Stand By You
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(Pictures) Juventus Training 28-4-09

Appeal For Juventus-Lecce Denied: Note By The Club

Juventus Football Club took note of the decision taken by the Courts of Justice which confirmed the decision taken by the sport authorities with regards to the home match against Lecce. While awaiting the reasons for the decision, in order to take ulterior actions, the club expressed its surprise with regards to the news which was spread by certain press agencies a good hour before the end of the works by the court and the pronunciation of the decision itself.

Juventus.com

Separate Training For Legrottaglie And Chiellini

Juventus continued in its preparation two days after the match against Reggina and five before the one against Lecce. Del Piero worked in the gym as per personal schedule. On the field, for a quick warm-up were Chiellini, Legrottaglie and Ekdal.

For the first a week of separate training is envisaged to recover from the muscular injury. Legrottaglie is recovering from gastro-enteritis and should be back with the group tomorrow.

Another four bianconeri also worked in the gym: Marchisio, who will certainly not be available on Sunday; Molinaro who after the operation will continue wearing a protection on his left hand for another 3 weeks.

Tiago who did not train due to muscle strain; and Amauri who notwithstanding having recovered from a fever had a lighter work load. All the others, including the goalkeepers, took part in warm-up exercises with the ball followed by fitness exercises and a mini-match. General manager Jean-Claude Blanc followed the session.

Juventus.com

No Disqualified Players For Sunday Match

Juventus-Lecce will not have any suspended players. There are in fact no names of bianconeri or giallorossi in the list announced by the sport authorities. In compensation, Tiago will be back after the day suspension paid against Reggio Calabria for the red card shown against Inter. The Portuguese player is still however in the list of players who have reached the yellow card limit which also includes Mellberg. The Swede received his third yellow card of the season at the Granillo. The other names on the list are Amauri, Nedved, Chiellini and Grygera.

Juventus-Lecce, All Previous Encounters

	TOTAL GAMES	JUVENTUS WINS	DRAWS	LECCE WINS
League matches in Turin	13	10	2	1
League matches in Lecce	14	9	3	2
Italian Cup	6	4	2	--
TOTAL	33	23	7	3

These stats include all matches played in the national Leagues (A, B, C), since the single-group tournament was set up (1929/30) and all Italian Cups since 1922.

Marchisio: "Let Us Roll Up Our Sleeves"

"It is a period in which everything is going wrong but we must not give up. The supporters were always close to us and I hope they will remain son. For us their support is important to end the season as best we can".

A slight blow during a tackle and the end of the match. Claudio Marchisio in Reggio Calabria had to stop on the 36th minute due to a muscular problem but fortunately it isn’t anything serious:

"And this is the most important thing – underlined Claudio on Juventus Channel, the day after the tests -. The pain is still there but during the week we will come up with the plan so that I can be able to be back as soon as possible without risking a relapse".

The stop came at the worst time possible with the direct enocunter against Milan just round the corner, a match which a fighter like Claudio does not want to miss: "If it were up to me I would be back on the field against Lecce. I would always like to play and I am sorry to have left the field against Reggio after a contrast with Ceravolo. I did not feel any pain while running but it happened during a tackle".

The origin of the injury is an unlucky episode, the latest in this unlucky period: "During the minutes in which I played and then even during the rest of the match I saw a healthy Juventus which ran and created a number of occasions. The problem is that at the moment everybody is managing to score “the best Sunday goal”. We must be even more careful because if a few months ago a shot on our part would have ended in the net, now we are hitting the post...We must not give up".

The same support came from John Elkann who during the Exor shareholder meeting invited all to concentrate exclusively on the results:

"The words of engineer Elkann were very right. We must think of the field and nothing else. Surely, during a season with three competitions, in which you gave a lot, a physical deterioration is acceptable, even though I don’t think it’s our case. The negative period can also be due to the disappointments suffered in the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, but I repeat, we must think only of the field".

"It is enough to look at Milan: a few months ago it was not doing well at all and they seemed to be fighting for the fourth place but now they are doing well. All the teams go through ups and downs and we have to roll up our sleeves and work harder».

In these last few match days the closeness of the supporters will be very important: "They always gave us a lot and they showed this by applauding even when we were eliminated from the Champions League. They know that the team and the club went through many sacrifices in the last few years and we are still making sacrifices. I hope they understand that we give our best on the field even though just as I said sometimes things tend to go wrong".

"For us their support is very important. We have faith in our coach and in his staff just like we had throughout the year and we will try to end the championship in the best of manners because it would be a pity to ruin a season which up to a few weeks ago seemed splendid".

Juventus.com

28-4-09 Juventus News

Juventus' Stadium Ban Appeal Rejected
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Camoranesi Backs Ranieri 'Project'
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Poulsen: Match Against Milan Is The Key
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Elkann Demands Action
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Juve Need Time, Says Deschamps
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Angry Juventus Fans Protest In Turin: Sack The Board!
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Bari Coach Antonio Conte: I Am Ready For Juventus
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Juve Want Diego Fast
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Juventus To Use De Ceglie Or Criscito As Bait For Udinese Ace Asamoah
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Juventus Monitor Marek Hamsik’s Situation At Napoli
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Calcio Debate: How Long Can Juventus Go Without A Trophy?
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Goal.com Special: Who Is Juventus’ Player Of The Season?
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Electric Youth - Is Juve's New Triad Out Of Time Or Is The Best Yet To Come?
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Good News For Marchisio

After the first tests the muscle injury suffered during the match against Reggina does not seem to be serious. Cristian Molinaro operated in his hand. Back to training on Tuesday afternoon.

Today the bianconeri benefited from a day of rest in order to recover strength following the away match in Reggio Calabria. The team will get back to training tomorrow afternoon in preparation for the match against Lecce on schedule for Tuesday afternoon at the Olimpico at 15:00hrs.

In the morning Claudio Marchisio’s conditions were verified after he was forced to leave the field in the first half of the match at the Granillo due to a muscle injury. The tests showed a slight strain to the internal muscle close to the right gluten muscle. The midfielder will rest for a few days before undergoing further tests but the injury does not seem to be a serious one and he should be back quite soon.

Also today, Cristian Molinaro, was operated in his left hand in order to stabilize a small fracture by means of a metal insert. The operation, carried out by Professor Quaglia and his team under local anaesthetic was successful. The defender will have to wear protection for a few weeks but will be able to train regularly and can be available for the next match. The operation had been planned for quite some time.

Juventus.com

27-4-09 Juventus News

Ranieri: We Saved Face... Sort Of
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Claudio Ranieri: My Juventus Will Be Back On Top In Five Years
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Every Time The Opposition Shoot They Score - Juventus' Vincenzo Iaquinta
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Cristiano Zanetti: Juventus Have Lost Motivation
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Iaquinta Confident Juve Will Bounce Back
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English Premier League Only Dominating Because Of Foreigners - Claudio Ranieri
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Juventus Fans Want Alessio Secco Out
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Conte Flirts With Juve
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Diego, Only The 15% Of His Father Djair Missing. But Who Will Pay?
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Juve Chase Turan
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(Video) Reggina - Juventus 2-2

Iaquinta: "There Is A Bit Of Disappointment But We Must Now To Play Well In The Last Five Matches"

Vincenzo Iauinta, one of the best players in the match at the Granillo, commented the draw against Reggina: : "We lost precious points and we are disappointed because of this even because we had the right winning mentality".

Amongst the reasons for this negative moment Iaquinta blames luck: "It is a period in which our opponents score with their first attempt and this even happened with that deviation in the Coppa Italia. Now we have to give anything in the last five matches".

The striker concluded with the words spoken by Ranieri during the last press conference with regards to the exhaustion of the players: "The group is united. We are a group of men who want to show much".

Juventus.com

Zanetti: "It Was An Important Goal"

Cristiano Zanetti had been out of the field for a long time and his return against Reggina was perhaps one of the most positive points of the match, especially when one considers the goal scored.

"At first I found it a bit difficult because I did not have the right rhythm in my legs then the match rhythm fell and I managed to get into the match. It was an important goal because I scored on my return and won us a point".

Want went wrong?: "Having failed to reach our three main objectives affected us but we must realize that the second place can be a good result. It is however, not easy for players who had higher objectives in mind. Clearly a team built to win which finds itself out of the race for the titles finds it hard to find the stimuli necessary".

Juventus.com

Molinaro: "We Are United, Absolutely So"

In the last two seasons Christian Molinaro has been one of the most utilized players by Claudio Ranieri, even perhaps due to the fact that he always gives more then is asked of him on the field.

The defender commented the result against Reggina in this manner: "We are sorry about the fact that we did not manage to bring the three points home. We created many opportunities and were a bit unlucky but we could have done something more. Recently we are not managing to score. The team is giving its best even though it may not seem so from the outside".

There have been comments about whether the team is united or not: "We are united, absolutely so. It is obvious that we missed out on our objectives but the team is united and we are all working together. We wanted to show that we came back from the defeat in the Coppa Italia and we only obtained a draw but we are doing our best".

In recent matches Juventus have tried to equalize before attempting to win the matches: "This year we had to deal with many injuries especially in the defence and this makes teams difficult. We work hard during the week and then during the match we sometimes make mistakes which cost us goals. It is more a matter of attention rather then technique".

So what went wrong?: "When results do not come the fault is of everybody. before we used to manage to hold on not conceding goals and then manage to score later in the match bringing the victory home and now we concede and have to make-up which is obviously more difficult. Nobody wants to lose and we do our best not to. It is up to us to show the supporters that we want to pay them back".

Juventus.com

Ranieri: "The Team Is Doing The Best It Can At The Moment"

Claudio Rannieri commented the draw in Reggio Calabria: "In the first half-hour of the match we did not manage to find our rhythm even though we had the first real goal opportunity of the match. The match wasn’t a nice one but it was intense and sought till the very end".

These are the first words of the Juventus coach who went on to analyze the team’s performance: "We are doing the best we can at the moment. When we don’t play with our usual intensity we suffer but it is not an easy moment because we started from the Champions League preliminaries and we have many players who played very much and others are recovering from muscular injuries and therefore we are not at the top condition".

A comment is made about a tackle by Cirillo on Del Piero in the area which should have been penalized by a penalty but Ranieri answered in this manner: "I do not like speaking of referees. From the bench I could even hear the sound of the impact on Del Piero but the referee though differently and I do not want to comment these things".

Juventus.com

Reggina - Juventus 2-2

The match between Reggina and Juventus at the Stadio Granillo ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw that will not be of much use to either side, as Juve surrender second place to Milan while Reggina remain rock-bottom.

It was last against second as Reggina welcomed Juventus at the Stadio Granillo in a must-win game for their hopes of survival. The Bianconeri, who needed to get back to winning ways after a dire run of results to maintain their second place in the standings, played in a 4-4-2 formation with captain Alessandro Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta up front, while the Granata played a 3-5-1-1 side with Franco Brienza behind Fabio Ceravolo.

First Half

The first chance came for the visitors in the eighth minute, when Pavel Nedved played the ball into the area for Iaquinta, who found himself alone in front of goalkeeper Christian Puggioni, but fired the ball wide.

In the 15th minute, Brienza made a run through the middle and fired a dangerous curling shot from the edge of the area that went just wide.

Two minutes later, Juve responded as Del Piero played the ball to Nedved, who fired a volley toward the far post that hit the side netting.

A minute after that, the home side threatened the Juve defence again as Ceravolo came inside the area from the right and tried a shot towards the far post that ended up going well wide.

The home side managed to take the lead in the 26th minute through Antonino Barillá, who headed the ball past Gianluigi Buffon from the far post on a cross by Daniel Adejo.

This unexpected goal prompted an immediate response from Juve, who came close to equalising two minutes later, as Nedved fired a hammerblow from the edge of the area that was saved with some trouble by Puggioni. On the follow-up, Del Piero was clearly fouled in the area by Bruno Cirillo, but the referee overlooked the incident.

In the 34th minute, Ceravolo made an impressive run through the middle and made his way inside the area after dribbling past several Juve players, but his shot from inside the area went just wide.

Three minutes later, Zdenek Grygera played in a cross from the right that was met by Iaquinta, who tried a volley at the near post that went just wide.

Just before the break Juve wasted another big chance to make it 1-1, as Nedved played it to Iaquinta, who played it back to Mauro Camoranesi inside the area, but the winger made an incredible error as he fired the ball over the bar from close range.

Second Half

The second half started with no changes in either side. Just two minutes in, Juve were awarded a penalty for a foul by Adejo on Iaquinta. Del Piero stepped up, and deservedly made it 1-1 with a cool finish, scoring his 260th goal for the club.

In the 50th minute, the Bianconeri nearly found the knockout punch, as Iaquinta found space for a header from inside the area, but he sent the ball inches wide.

Although Juve put pressure on the home side for a while after the equaliser, they could not come up with any clear-cut chances. In the 69th minute, they were punished when Reggina suddenly went in front again, Emil Hallfredsson firing a thunderbolt from 25 meters that found the top corner of the net to make it 2-1.

Two minutes later, Iaquinta came close to finding an immediate equaliser, as he made a great turn inside the area and fired the ball toward the top corner, but he sent the ball just wide.

However, in the 73rd minute Juve’s equaliser did arrive, as Camoranesi played in a cross from the right, Iaquinta played it on to the onrushing Zanetti, who slid the ball in to make it 2-2.

The match continued to be balanced, and in the 82nd minute there was a scare for Juve as substitute Francesco Cozza fired in a shot from inside the area, which was blocked at the last second by Olof Mellberg, and on the rebound Adejo fired the ball well over the bar.

The last chance of the match came in injury time, when in the 91st minute Nedved crossed the ball in and found substitute Amauri, who sent the ball narrowly wide.

With this result Juve dropped to third place, two points behind new runners-up Milan, while Reggina remain at the bottom of the table and are six points removed of the safety zone.


Teams

Reggina (3-5-1-1): Puggioni; Cirillo, Valdez, Santos; Adejo, Vigiani (72’ Cascione), Carmona, Hallfredsson, Barillá (83’ Corradi); Brienza; Ceravolo (58’ Cozza). Coach: Orlandi.

Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon; Grygera, Mellberg, Ariaudo, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Marchisio (36’ Poulsen), Zanetti, Nedved; Iaquinta, Del Piero (75’ Amauri). Coach: Ranieri.

Goals: 27’ Barillá (R), 48’ Del Piero pen. (J), 69’ Hallfredsson (R), 73’ Zanetti (J)

Booked: Puggioni (R); Mellberg, Marchisio (J)

Danilo Pochini
Goal.com

20 Players Called-Up For Match Against Reggina

The afternoon training session consisted of fine-tuning and was followed by immediate departure for Reggio Calabria where Juventus will be playing the 33rd match day. The match against Reggina is a delicate one with the home team last in the table but fresh from the away victory in Bergamo.

The bianconeri will have to do without Tiago who is suspended and Knezevic whose name was added to the list of unavailable players. The defence, just like in the Coppa Italia is in a state of emergency also due to the absence of Chiellini. It is important, however, that Zebina has recovered.

Nedved worked in the gym but will not miss the match. Juventus sports director Alessio Secco followed the training session from a distance together with President Cobolli Gigli and general manager Blanc. All three will remain with the team for the whole time during their stay in Reggio Calabria.

Below is the list of the 20 players called up for the match at the “Granillo”:

1. Buffon
4. Mellberg
5. Zebina
6. Zanetti
8. Amauri
9. Iaquinta
10. Del Piero
11. Nedved
12. Chimenti
13. Manninger
16. Camoranesi
17. Trezeguet
18. Poulsen
19. Marchisio
20. Giovinco
21. Grygera
28. Molinaro
29. De Ceglie
32. Marchionni
41. Ariaudo

Juventus.com

Ranieri: "We Simply Have To Go There And Win"

After the elimination from the Coppa Italia, Juventus must simply get back to victory in the championship beating Reggina away in Reggio Calabria. The importance of the match is shown even through Mr. Ranieri’s words during the press conference.

"Reggina will be playing their last chance to save themselves from relegation and we are playing to save our honour. We have the third best attack and they have the third worst defence. We simply have to go there and win".

"We have to be more determined to win. I expect Juventus to react with pride, determination and will, to realize that we went through a bad period and wanting to get back to winning. I always fought and therefore I will take things by going on in this manner. I want the second place and will keep on fighting to obtain it. I hope the team will do the same".

Once again the Juventus coach must deal with injured players. Just as in the Coppa Italia, the bianconeri will have to do without Legrottaglie and Chiellini.

"Just like the last match we will have Ariaudo who is doing well and who has a great future ahead. Legrottaglie had stomach problems and lost 4 kilos. Zebina last time was not called-up because he had a physical problem even though he was not injured. Now that he trained for the whole week he is called-up. I did not want to include him in the injured players list because the problem was not a real injury but a physical problem and therefore I included in the list of players left out for technical reason".

Many have been the comments in the media about the elimination of Juventus from the Coppa Italia, many of which blamed the coach and accused certain players of rowing against Claudio Ranieri:

"I am very sorry we lost and we were eliminated from the Coppa Italia because for me it was a very important trophy. We lost and that’s what bothers me. We went through a bad patch and now we must get back to winning. I expect the whole team to do it and not only a single player. I am sure that Camoranesi is very much attached to the Juve jersey".

"I know he wants to do well and when he does not manage he gets nervous. In the Coppa Italia I just wanted to give equilibrium to the team knowing how we and Lazio were. The team is giving me the maximum, doing their best. Nobody is trying to create problems for me. The boys are always trying to do their best. I confirm I have one of the most united teams I ever coached".

"I want to wait for the match against Reggina before speaking of other things. There is always a reason. I am trying to obtain the second place and the rumours are swept aside. I think I am intelligent enough and hat is why I’ve been in football for 40 years. When the seas are rough I have to do my best. We must win tomorrow. My thoughts don’t count. What counts is that tomorrow I must win. I will only speak of the match".

A good note is definitely the return of Amauri: "The important thing is that I have him back. He will probably play part of the match and then we’ll see what he can offer".

Juventus.com

25-4-09 Juventus News

Serie A Preview: Reggina - Juventus
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Ranieri: 'I Know Juve's Problem'
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We Need To Save Face Against Reggina – Ranieri
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Legrottaglie Adds To Juve Woes
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Secco Reiterates That Ranieri Will Remain At Juventus
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Juve Fans Demand Action
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Lippi Rules Out Juve Return
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Juventus To Challenge Inter For Genoa Striker Diego Milito
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Bayern Wants Buffon, Juve Wants Ribery
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Watch Out Juventus - Reggina Coach Nevio Orlandi
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Reggina Can Beat Juventus – Gleison Santos
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Primavera Wins The Group. Siena Beaten 3-0

Maddaloni’s Primavera won its group one match before the end of the phase and is therefore through to the final phase. Against Siena, in Vinovo, the bianconeri dominated the match.

Opening the score in the first half thanks to De Paola, Maddaloni’s boys had many other goal scoring occasions which they did not finish, however in the first minutes of the second half they managed to close the match with goals by Immobile and Esposito (the end result was 3-0).

The last championship match is on schedule for Friday 1st May away to Sassuolo.

Juventus.com

Milan – Juventus To Be Played On Sunday 10th May At 20:30

The Lega Calcio decided that the big match of the 16th match day between Milan and Juventus will be played at San Siro on Sunday 10th May at 20:30hrs.

The Lega Calcio also announced the following fixtures: on Saturday 9th May (16th match day) at 18:00hrs Sampdoria-Reggina and 20:30 Lazio-Udinese. The 17th match day will see Roma-Catania being played on Saturday 16th May at 18:00hrs and Udinese-Milan at 20:30hrs while Sunday 17th May will be the turn of Inter-Siena at 20:30hrs.

Fourteen Years From The Demise Of Andrea Fortunato

Fourteen years ago Juventus, their supporters and all the football world received the saddest of news: Andrea Fortunato had lost his fight with leukaemia. It was the 25th of April 1995. Andrea, just as he had always done on the field against his opponents, fought till the very end even against the illness which he had been diagnosed with in May 1994. A year of treatment and hope were rendered futile on that Spring day of fourteen years ago.

Andrea had been with Juventus for 2 years, playing his first season in black and white in 1993-94 collecting 27 appearances and scoring a goal. He had shown crystalline class and constant commitment so much so that his physical deterioration at the end of the season had surprised everyone. Unfortunately, this was the sign of an illness which was developing, the illness which took him away a year later and which left him a special place and deep sorrow in the hearts of everybody.

Juventus and its supporters never forgot Andrea and even today they heartily embrace his relatives.

Juventus.com

Tactical Work

Unwinding session for Juventus, three days before the match against Reggina on schedule for Sunday at the Granillo. Warm-up and tactical work were the ingredients of today’s session which did not see the participation of Nicola Legrottaglie and Giorgio Chiellini.

The first is still suffering from the after-effects of intestinal influenza which stopped him from playing against Lazio, whilst the second is suffering of a muscular problem which will stop him from taking part in the away match in Calabria.

Dario Knezevic suffered a blow to the ankle and his conditions will be evaluated tomorrow. After the session there will be a press conference by Ranieri to begin at 15:45hrs at the Media Center in Vinovo. The encounter with the journalists will be transmitted live on Juventus Channel as usual.

Juventus.com

On The Strait In Search Of Three Points

With the Coppa Italia semi-final a part of the past, Juventus will be diving back into the championship where the match against Reggina awaits. In the first round the bianconeri showed great superiority winning 4-0, but now, playing against a team in need of points to avoid relegation with 6 match days to go till the end of the championship, could have hidden traps, especially when one considers the difficulties encountered more then once at the Granillo.

Out of 7 past encounters Juventus won 4 always by 2-0. The other three were won by the amaranto all by 2-1. In the last match, played on the 23rd February 2008, the team coached by Renzo Ulivieri scored in the first minute thanks to a controversial penalty awarded after a Sissoko tackle on Amoruso which was scored by the latter himself.

Reggina is currently last in the table but the recent victory against Atalanta revived the environment and now Orlandi’s formation is seeing safety a mere 4 points away. The bianconeri, on their part, want to get back to playing well and win points to maintain the second place in the table.

For the match at the Granillo, Ranieri will have to do without Tiago who is suspended but will have back Camoranesi and Marchisio who were suspended against Inter. Amauri’s conditions must be verified as well as those of Zanetti while Legrottaglie who has recovered from a fever should be available.

Juventus.com

24-4-09 Juventus News

Chiellini To Miss Reggina Match
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Juve: Ranieri Is Safe
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Del Piero Reiterates That He Is Not Against Cassano Joining Juventus
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Marco Tardelli: Juventus Squad Is Not Serie A Title Material
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Juventus 'Line Up Ledesma'
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Juventus Monitor Lazio Striker Goran Pandev
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Juventus Prepare Bid For Udinese Star Kwadwo Asamoah
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Italian Bayern: Mancini Will Bring Buffon?
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Juventus, New GM Soon?
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Reggina’s Andrea Costa Promises Great Battle Against Juventus
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Reggina's Brienza Expects To Face An 'Angry' Juventus
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Saccani For Reggina-Juventus

Massimo Saccani will be the referee of Reggina-Juventus. The referee from Mantova will be refereeing Juventus in the championship for the 8th time in his career. Statistics show 4 Juventus victories, 2 draws and one defeat.

This season Saccani refereed Juventus against Napoli in the away match at the San Paolo which the parteopei won 2-1 and during the home match against Fiorentina which saw the victory of the bianconeri by 1-0 thanks to the goal scored by Claudio Marchisio.

Saccani refreed 11 Reggina matches in the championship. One of these was the debut of Saccani in the Serie A on the 6th of February 2000 with the amaranto emerging as victors against Bologna at the Granillo by 1-0. Up to now with Saccani as referee Reggina won 5 times, drew once and lost 4 times the last defeat occurring this season in the home match against Milan by 2-1.

At the Granillo, Saccani will be assisted by Niccolai and Papi while Calvarese will be the fourth official.

Juventus.com

Primavera, Last Effort

It’s time for the last direct encounter for Maddaloni’s team. On Saturday afternoon at the Chisola the Primavera will host Siena. A draw would be enough for the bianconeri to win the group a match day before the end.

The objective – even though temporary – is a step away. After having won the Viareggio Cup, the Primavera can add another jewel to its season collection: the victory in Group A. With 180 minutes to go, Maddaloni’s team leads with 5 points ahead of Sampdoria and 6 ahead of Empoli and Siena.

On Saturday afternoon (at 15:00hrs) at the Chisola, the team will meet Siena. It will be the right occasion to end all speculations with a day ahead. By winning the team would have made it and even a draw would have the same taste whilst awaiting the last match on the following week against Sassuolo.

The match against Siena, one of the protagonists of the season, this will be the third encounter this year. At the moment the balance is at a tie: a victory for the Tuscans in the championship and one for Juventus during the Viareggio Cup.

Juventus.com

Marchisio: "The Second Place Would Be Something To Feel Proud Of"

The day after the elimination from the Coppa Italia disappointment is still strong but Juventus want to look ahead. Claudio Marchisio spoke to Juventus Channel and served as a witness to this will to get back:

"The team tried to reach the final – the midfielder declared – just like we gave all against Chelsea and there is great disappointment because if many teams choose to snob the Coppa Italia we considered it an important trophy. Now we have six championship matches and we must maintain the second place. This would be something to be proud of for us".

The reaction must be immediate because it necessary to move in the table and to end the protests: "It is normal for the supporters to act in this manner. They share our same anguish. They know we gave all we could but it is normal that they expect more. We ourselves expect more and as from Sunday in Reggio we must aim at obtaining a good result in the most concrete manner".

Now it is important to regain concentration and tranquillity, putting all thoughts of the future aside notwithstanding the abundance of talk which surrounded the team lately:

"We know that we shouldn’t really take note of the rumours because they only serve to disrupt the equilibrium and stop us from preparing well for the matches. We must only think of ending the championship in the best of manners. The commitment towards this will be as always and our supporters can rest their minds with regards to this".

Juventus.com

Molinaro: "We Should All Blame Ourselves And Save Our Honour"

"There is disappointment but we are obliged look ahead. Now we have an important match i n Reggio, in which we have to show we are alive". Cristian Molinaro wants an immediate reaction.

The defender did not take part in the match against Lazio but this does not mean he is less disappointed then his mates with regards to the elimination. The important thing however, he insisted on Juventus Channel, is getting back up:

"We want the second place even as a strong sign: notwithstanding the objectives having been blown away we are still there and next year we want to do even better. This is now our primary objective and as from today we got back to work. The fact is that the match in Reggio is close and this can be of additional motivation to show our reaction".

Cristian also asked for faith from the supporters who protested after the defeat against Lazio: "The protests make us feel even sorrier: we always did our best but unfortunately we were not decisive in the most important matches. Besides all this I don’t think it is fair to point a finger at the administration or the coach when up to some time ago they were being praised".

"The supporters stayed with us even in the bad moments but yesterday there was a lot of disappointment and therefore controversial reactions. It is not fair however to blame a single person. We must all blame ourselves, first of all us players who are on the field, and thus save our honour in the next performances".

Juventus.com