Juventus vs Atletico Madrid preview - Juve look to snatch top spot

Posted Tuesday, December 09, 2014 by PA

Massimiliano Allegri insists Juventus will do all they can to beat Atletico Madrid by two clear goals to advance to the Champions League knockout stages as Group A winners on Tuesday night.

Juve trail Atletico by three points going into the final round of group fixtures and the outcome of the Juventus Stadium encounter will determine who tops the group and who finishes runners-up.

Allegri's men need only to draw to advance in second place, but victory by two or more goals will see them pip Atletico to first spot and in theory secure an easier draw in the last 16.

Juventus could miss out on the knockout stages altogether if they lose to Atletico and Olympiacos beat Malmo, but Allegri is resisting the urge to play it safe and says his players will go all out to win the group.

"Reaching the knockout stages is our first target of the season. Topping the group would enable us to face the second-placed teams and we must do all we can to win by a two-goal margin," he told the club's official website.

"Having said that, it won't be easy because Atletico limit you to very few chances."

Allegri refuses to believe Diego Simeone's side will take Tuesday's encounter lightly even though they have already guaranteed a place in the last 16.

"We're up against a team who have won 10 of their last 11 games and done brilliantly in recent years, winning La Liga and narrowly missing out on lifting the Champions League," he added.

"Simeone's doing a great job, it's not easy to beat Real and Barcelona and neither is going all the way in Europe."

Allegri went on to reveal he has not yet made up his mind who will partner Carlos Tevez in attack, with Spain internationals Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Morata vying for a place up front alongside the Argentinian.

The former AC Milan boss added: "Llorente has scored important goals in Europe and Morata put in a fine performance in Greece. It's the first year he feels an important player because in Madrid he was viewed as a youngster.

"Both players will get game time, but I still haven't decided who will start tomorrow night."

Atletico have won their last five games in all competitions and have not conceded in their last four fixtures - an even greater achievement considering the Rojiblancos have been without centre-back Miranda during this period.

The Brazil defender misses out once again as he has not yet recovered from a hamstring injury sustained on international duty last month, while Cristian Ansaldi is also unavailable.

Miranda's fellow defender and compatriot Guilherme Siqueira, meanwhile, knows Juve will be no pushovers but says the Spanish champions are ready for the challenge.

"It's an important game where we are looking for top spot. It's a decisive game to finish in first place, which is what the team want," the Atletico left-back said on his club's website.

"Juventus are a great team, who have been dominant in Italy in recent years and I'm sure that they also want Champions League titles. We know what we're up against, but we're ready, we know what we have to do and God-willing we will come out with first place in the group."