Andrea Pirlo tomorrow plays the bench. Juve-Napoli, a match postponed twice and with enormous controversies, comes at a time when the teams occupy fourth and fifth place in the standings with the same points. Losing would put uphill until the Champions League qualification for Juve, and the dismissal of the 'Maestro' would become an increasingly concrete possibility. On Saturday several Italian media revealed a meeting between President Agnelli and Max Allegri, the favorite to replace the former midfielder, who would be delighted to return two years after his dismissal.
Pirlo confirmed that this meeting took place, but did not give it importance: “The president himself warned me of this meeting, it is normal that it can take place. Besides football, there is friendship. It is as if I were going to have dinner with Maldini and they said that I would go to train at Milan. I have constant contact with the president and his trust gives me peace of mind. Obviously, my continuity will depend on the results“.
Pirlo, then, does not feel on the tightrope, nor does he believe that the confrontation with the Azzurri will be decisive: “It is not the last chance for the Champions League, it will be a clash between two teams with the same goal and the same desire“The match was scheduled in October, but Naples did not travel due to its two covid positives (Zielinski and Elmas) due to a decision by the local health authority. Juve now have three (Bonucci, Demiral and Bernardeschi), but Pirlo does not want more controversy: “We are going to respect the protocol and what the Health Authority says. We will do what we always did: we will be on the field to play the game.” Dybala, after the punishment for the dinner at McKennie's house, has returned to be available: “He is finally fine, he trained with the rest of the group and it is very important to have him available again“After three months of his last appearance, the Argentine could even start.