Cagliari vs Juventus preview - Conte: We can cope without Chiellini

Posted Friday, December 21, 2012 by PA

Juventus head coach Antonio Conte believes his players have the right mentality to cope without injured captain Giorgio Chiellini against Cagliari.

The Bianconeri will be winter champions after dropping just eight points in their title defence so far, but Conte is demanding full concentration against a side scrapping for points at the wrong end of the table.

The game will be played at Parma's Stadio Ennio Tardini, nearly 500 miles away from Cagliari's Stadio Is Arenas, which failed safety checks on Wednesday.

Conte believes his Serie A leaders have what it takes to compensate for the absence of defender Chiellini, who has picked up a calf injury.

He told juventus.com: "It's a shame Chiellini's injured, he's a player everyone would like to have for what he offers both on and off the field of play.

"He's one of our leaders but I'm convinced he'll come back stronger than before, looking to recover as soon as possible with the help of the club's medical staff."

Juventus face an intriguing trip to Celtic in the last 16 of the Champions League as a result of today's draw in Nyon, but Conte's focus is on navigating one more league game before the two-week winter break.

"It won't take any attention away from our Cagliari preparations," he added. "We have great respect for the team we face, but we don't fear anyone."

On-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner (thigh) joins Chiellini on the sidelines as Juve bid to open a 10-point gap over second-placed Inter Milan going into the weekend's fixtures.

The 15,000 Cagliari fans that bought tickets to see Juve in Sicily were already frustrated having witnessed a run of four straight defeats, with the Rossoblu looking for a first a win in seven attempts tomorrow night.

Captain Daniele Conti serves a one-match suspension, with defender Sebastian Eriksson also missing through injury.

Head coach Ivo Pulga told La Repubblica: "There is only one way to deal with Juventus and that is not to submit to them.

"If you hole up near your own goal sooner or later you will concede a goal. We have to play an open game and match them blow for blow.

"I'm sorry for all the fans that were hoping to come to the game. Their support would have given us a big hand."