Carrera hopes to end Chievo hoodoo

Massimo Carrera has demanded full focus from his Juventus side as he sets out to claim their first home win over Chievo since 2009.

The Serie A champions have started off this season’s campaign with three wins out of three, nine goals scored and only two conceded to stretch their unbeaten run to 42 games.

But the 48-year-old coach, who is at the helm while Antonio Conte serves his 10-month ban, has demanded full focus against Chievo on Saturday who they have failed to beat in their last five attempts.

“It’s been a while since we got the better of Chievo, so we’ll need to take to the field with the right mentality. We know we’ll be in for an extremely difficult game and must remain focused,” he said.

“We’re aware that we’re the team to beat. Everyone we come up against wants to be the first side to take all three points off us. We need to be up for the fight and give as much as we can. Quality isn’t necessarily enough to overcome opposition like the Gialloblu.”

Carrera has hinted there may be some changes at the weekend following Wednesday night’s gruelling Champions League tie against Chelsea which finished 2-2.

But he has reassured fans he believes the team has enough depth in quality to ring the changes this weekend.

“We’ve still got two training sessions remaining, so we’ll use them to assess the physical condition of the entire squad and work out our best starting line-up,” he said.

“We have many important players here and I’m confident that whoever plays will be able to fit into the team’s system. If we decide to give (Andrea) Pirlo a rest, (Paul) Pogba and (Luca) Marrone are both players capable of stepping in and doing a good job.”

The former Juventus defender paid tribute to the work ethic of those in the squad and in their performances in the absence of their manager Conte.

He added: “We have a group ethic here. We’ve displayed it in the last few games, when those called upon to come off the bench have weighed in with an important contribution.

“I make the decisions on the bench but speak with Antonio during the week and before the game to try and predict various moves. During the action I consult (goalkeeping coach Claudio) Filippi. He’s a coach and is able to give me a hand.”