Juventus head coach Thiago Motta has insisted his youthful side must be at their best when they face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Juventus are 19th in the 36-team standings after five games and are without a win in the league since their 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig in October.
Motta's side have also lost four of their last six home games in the Champions League (W2), including their most recent against Stuttgart.
This is as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 40 home league games combined (four), between October 2013 and December 2021.
And the Juventus boss acknowledged the difficulties his side will face against the Premier League champions despite their recent form under Pep Guardiola.
“It's a Champions League match, two big clubs are facing each other. We have to concentrate on what we have to do, everything else is relative,” Motta said.
“We are a young team that can improve in every aspect of the game. We have shown great character, we are growing because we have great solidarity on the field,” he added.
“At the end of the day you look at everything, but we have to prioritize the most important things. We have to think about the game and stay compact and play with intensity.”
“We will need a lot of quality to create difficulties for them.”
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The Citizens' run of one win in their last nine games in all competitions has not been helped by several injuries to a host of first-team stars.
Oscar Bobb, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji will miss Wednesday's trip to Turin, but midfield duo Phil Foden and Mateo Kovacic are expected to return.
Motta looked at their recent struggles and praised Guardiola for what he has achieved during his time at Etihad.
“In recent years, Manchester City have won everything, and you only have to congratulate them for the value they have shown,” said Motta.
“Guardiola is a very good coach, I'm not just saying that, the facts prove it. He has won consistently.”
Juventus also have injury problems ahead of taking on City at the Allianz Arena, with Andrea Cambiaso, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal and Arkadiusz Milik all missing.
But they have been boosted by the returns of Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz, who trained with the squad in midweek and are expected to feature.
“Tomorrow those who deserve to play will play and those who have been out for a while obviously need more time,” Motta said.
“I'm happy that the boys are back because they are the first to be unhappy and it's also good to know that they can give us a helping hand.
“That said, I don't think our problems, if they exist, are due to injuries.”
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 10, 2024
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