Luciano Spalletti is eager to see how his Juventus team performs without pressure as they prepare to face Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.
With 12 points from their seven league matches in the competition so far, Juventus are guaranteed a place in the play-offs, although they could still sneak into the top eight.
Juventus have won their last three Champions League games, against Bodo/Glimt, Pafos and Benfica, and the last time they won four in a row in a single edition was in 2021-22.
Before this three-game winning streak, the Bianconeri had not won in five consecutive games in the competition (D3 L2), and they travel to Stade Louis-II with confidence.
Spalletti’s side moved to within a point of the top four in Serie A after defeating Scudetto champions Napoli 3-0 on Sunday, although the Juventus boss believes his players are no longer under pressure against Monaco.
“There is no better way to demonstrate our current form,” Spalletti said in his press conference and on Sky Sport Italia.
“We don’t have the tension of needing a result, so let’s see what we can do when we are mentally free.
“Monaco will not make calculations, they cannot afford to sit back and wait, while we play to win, to aspire to something more.
“I expect an open and entertaining match against a strong opponent.”
Monaco is in 21st place in the league stage and knows that a defeat could see it eliminated from the competition in the first phase if the results are not as expected.
However, Juventus have only won two of their 11 away games against French teams in the European Cup/Champions League (D2 L7), both in the 2016-17 campaign, and the most recent in Monaco (2-0 in May 2017).
This will be the first meeting between Monaco and Juventus since the 2016-17 Champions League semi-finals, where the Bianconeri advanced to the final after winning both games (2-0 away and 2-1 at home).
But backing up his point that there is no pressure on his team, Spalletti said he would make major changes to the team that defeated Napoli at the weekend.
“We played two days ago and we will play again two days later, so there will be some adjustments,” Spalletti revealed.
“I can say that Koopmeiners will play in midfield, while Bremer and Gatti need to be evaluated regarding their fitness.
“Openda is going to start up front. If I give him space, he should be able to solve this difficulty he has in scoring goals.
“I’m curious to see how this team does without that anxiety of needing a result at all costs.
“We are in the best possible situation, in the Champions League, without feeling the pressure of the obligatory three points.
“I will make some changes, yes, but I still want to see a high level of performance.”
Spalletti was also questioned about the comments he made after beating Antonio Conte’s team, when the Italian called Napoli “former” Italian champions.
“I thought it was AI, then I realized it was real. I expected to be asked different things at a Champions League press conference,” Spalletti laughed.