Verona v Juventus: Asamoah wants to keep pushing
Kwadwo Asamoah has urged Juventus to keep giving their all in the remainder of the Serie A season as they prepare to take on Verona on Sunday.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men have already clinched the Scudetto, but their season is by no means over just yet at they meet AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final in two weeks’ time.
But matches against Verona and Sampdoria are on Juve’s agenda first and Asamoah has stressed the champions cannot afford to take anything for granted.
“I’m delighted to be back in the action and working with the rest of the squad every day. I want to keep winning titles here,” Asamoah told Sky Italia.
“My goal is to win back-to-back domestic doubles. Lifting the Coppa Italia again would be a great achievement but we’re not taking anything for granted.
“Enjoying this much success takes a lot of hard work and I’m proud of what we have achieved.
“I would probably say that this latest league title was the hardest and therefore the most satisfying of the lot. We realised what was required for us to become champions.
“The only way is up with Allegri at the helm, we are becoming a very good outfit under his guidance. He is a fantastic coach who builds great relationships with his players on and off the field. ”
Asamoah is likely to feature from the start on Sunday as Juventus are without Stephan Lichtsteiner, Mario Mandzukic, Paul Pogba and Hernanes due to suspension, while Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio are unavailable due to injury.
Verona, meanwhile, have little left to play for as their relegation to Serie B has already been confirmed.
They will be keen to end their disappointing season on a high, though, and Luca Toni’s retirement after Sunday’s encounter will serve as extra motivation to spring a surprise.
The 38-year-old announced this week that he will hang up his boots after the game following a career that saw him wear the shirts of major clubs such as Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, Roma, Juve and Italy.
Toni did not feature against his old team when they last met in January, with Juventus recording a 3-0 win in Turin, but he is likely to get playing time on this occasion as he aims to end his goalless streak.
The veteran striker has not found the net since the 3-1 win over Chievo on February 20.
Key Opta facts:
- Juventus are unbeaten against Verona in Serie A since April 2000.
- Verona have lost four of their last five Serie A games, winning the other fixture at home against Milan.
- Juventus have conceded only 18 goals in Serie A this season - the league record is the 20 shipped by Juve in 2011-12.
- Luca Toni has gone 559 minutes without a goal in Serie A.
- Gianlugi Buffon has equalled his personal best of clean sheets kept in a single Serie A campaign (21, in 2011-12).