Juventus has a bigger potential than they have shown on the field this season, manager Igor Tudor said on Saturday, prior to the last battle of his team to get a top-four finish in the Serie A and a place in the Champions League of next season.
The fourth placed Juventus is only one point above Roma, who has one point more than the sixth placed Lazio, with all three clubs compisting for the only Champions League slot that is still for grab for grabs, because the A-Season series comes to a conclusion on Sunday.
“Numbers and calculations are not part of my way of thinking … Juve's potential is greater than what we can see now,” Tudor reporters told the day before their journey to the 19th posted Venezia.
“For me this team has done almost nothing wrong. The team gives me confidence for tomorrow. The team wants to take what is of them. The team is there.”
Venezia, who is two points under the safety zone and needs a victory on Sunday to have the hope of avoiding relegation, fights a desperate battle for survival and beating the seventh placed Fiorentina with 2-1 in their previous home game.
“We both need (head and heart). It is an important match and we have to concentrate on things on the field,” said Tudor, who replaced Thiago Motta as a coach in March.
“I am happy with the work I did and I want to take this last step to complete everything.”
Tudor said that midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who had sustained an Achilles tendon injury last month, had trained with the team, but did not say if he was ready to play.
“Renato (Veiga) and (Weston) McKennie had problems, but they trained with us today,” the coach added.
Tudor, who spent almost a decade at Juventus as a player, said he wanted to help his players do it better, with the club that would compete in the club World Cup in the United States next month.
“I want to do my best to help my players. I want them to understand what we can do at Venezia and where we can improve,” he said.