"The atmosphere in the team is extremely good." Although Juventus has recently had one draw and two losses in their last three matches, Del Neri stated that the game against Palermo will be the start of Juventus' resurgence. "In the game where Juventus lost to Palermo, the team paid a heavy price for their carelessness in the first 20 minutes. However, the team's performance after that was completely different from when they lost to Udinese. The players played very well in the subsequent matches." Del Neri remains confident in his team: "We must fight; every match is difficult, but Juventus can definitely achieve success."
Before the last round of matches, Del Neri publicly stated that Juventus' season goal was to secure a top-four spot to qualify for next season's Champions League. He reiterated this statement: "Currently, the most important thing for Juventus is to stay in the competition for a Champions League spot and then seize the opportunity at the end of the season."
"Juventus is facing extremely severe injuries and suspensions, but with the return of key players, the team will quickly get back on track." Matri and Del Piero are likely to start together against Cagliari, while Toni is not fully recovered. Del Neri said: "Toni might be included in the squad, depending on whether I am willing to take the risk." However, in the list announced after the press conference, Del Neri decided to take the risk in these difficult circumstances.
Matri is the biggest hope of Juventus' winter transfer window. However, his performance in his debut was not satisfactory. Del Neri said: "I read some critical reports about Matri's first match, but I still think he performed well. He is Juventus' most important change, and with Matri's arrival, I believe Juventus' performance will improve further." Matri was loaned to Juventus from Cagliari, and regarding this opponent, Del Neri said: "Cagliari is a tough opponent; they have performed exceptionally well in their previous matches this season." Despite losing Matri in the winter transfer market and having Donadoni resign as coach in the first half of the season, Del Neri still believes that Cagliari's strength should not be underestimated.
After consecutive losses to Udinese and Palermo and being overtaken by both teams in the standings, Juventus will face another challenging opponent, Cagliari, in the early hours of Saturday Beijing time. Currently, Cagliari trails Juventus by three points, and if Juventus suffers a third consecutive defeat, they will be caught up by their opponent. Nevertheless, Del Neri remains confident in his team.
Attached is the list of 20 Juventus players:
Buffon, Motta, Chiellini, Melo, Sissoko, Grosso, Salihovic, Marchisio, Del Piero, Manninger, Aquilani, Barzagli, Bonucci, Toni, Grygera, Martinez, Krasic, Storari, Matri, Sorensen.