Giampaolo on Juventus test: “I’ll rotate to ensure we have fresh legs”

Marco Giampaolo has confirmed that he will make changes to his starting line-up as he prepares to take his Sampdoria side to champions Juventus on Wednesday night.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the Blucerchiati coach also called for his team to put the derby win over Genoa behind them and focus on the task in hand at Juventus Stadium.

“The derby was a marvellous match for the fans, but we need to draw a line under it and go again, because we have a really tough, competitive game ahead of us tomorrow,” admitted Giampaolo.

“We need to gather the energy we need to be in the game. The Bianconeri have more than enough quality to win the match.”

There was no suggestion that Samp would be heading to Turin as sacrificial lambs, however, despite the fact that Juventus will surely be smarting after their 1-0 defeat to second-placed AC Milan on Saturday night.

“I’ll need to put together a physical team that can still play good football,” explained the Samp coach. “If we go to Turin to defend then we’ll get beat, just as we will if we let them dominate us physically. I need to combine the two things.”

Giampaolo went on to acknowledge that he will need to shuffle his pack to ensure Samp can rise to the challenge at Juventus Stadium.

“I could make three, four five changes… we’ll see. This is a good time to mix it up. I need fresh legs – players that are feeling nice and fit, especially where we’re going to need the most running.”