Thiago Motta: ‘Juventus changed, must create against Inter’ | OneFootball

Thiago Motta explains how Juventus have ‘changed’ since the 4-4 thriller with Inter in October, warning they must be ‘good off the ball and even better on it, because we are the home team and must create.’

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

The last time these sides met was a spectacular 4-4 draw at San Siro in October 2024, so how have Juventus changed since then?

“A few things have changed, the line-up and our current form coming off three consecutive victories that give us confidence. We need a great performance tonight to deserve the victory,” Thiago Motta told DAZN.

“The players know each other better now, even though we made some changes in January due to the injuries. We know what to do on the field, we know what we are facing with Inter and trust we can play well this evening.”

The Bianconeri were in action midweek with the 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven and with the second leg of that Champions League play-off coming up on Wednesday, there is some squad rotation.

Douglas Luiz, Pierre Kalulu, Arek Milik, Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal are also injured, while Lloyd Kelly had a stomach bug and Andrea Cambiaso returns to the bench after several weeks out with a sprained ankle.

Thiago Motta warning on Inter strengths

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Internazionale players celebrate their 1st goal, an own goal by Marin Pongracic of Fiorentina, during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Fiorentina at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 10, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“When we do not have the ball, we must be generous, because Inter will often have three on three on the wings, their players rotate their positions getting down the flanks. Lautaro Martinez can also get between the lines, so we must be short, solid and not leave those spaces,” explained Thiago Motta.

“We know the quality of our opponents, we must do well off the ball, but even better on it. We are the home team, so we must create.”

In that 4-4 thriller, Kenan Yildiz came off the bench and scored two late goals to complete the comeback from 4-2 down, so with the Turkish talent again not in the starting XI this evening, is the coach hoping for a repeat?

“I hope that the team has a great game. We need to play 95 minutes at a high level, so I am convinced those who start will do well, but we also need those to come off the bench and either maintain or increase the level so we can play well for the whole match,” concluded Thiago Motta.