Bengaluru — Juventus host Manchester City in a clash on Wednesday between two European giants who are struggling in the Champions League and manager Thiago Motta said his young side must be at their best to cause problems for the visitors.
Juve, who are 19th but level on eight points with 17th-placed City after five games, won their first two matches in Europe’s top club competition but suffered a shock 1-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart before drawing at Lille and Aston Villa.
“It is a Champions League game, two big clubs facing each other. We have to concentrate on what we have to do, everything else is relative,” Motta, whose side are sixth in Serie A where they are still unbeaten this season, told reporters on Tuesday.
“We are a young team that can improve in every aspect of the game. We have shown great character, we grow because we have great solidarity on the pitch,” he added.
“In the end you look at everything but we have to give priority to the most important things. We have to think about the game and try to stay compact and play with intensity. We will need a lot of quality to create difficulties for them.”
Injury-hit City are struggling with one win in their last nine games in all competitions but Motta, who has his own injury worries, said counterpart Pep Guardiola “is very strong” as “he has won everything” and noted the Premier League side’s success.