Allegri wants to stay at Juventus

With Juventus about to play their last game of the Serie A season today, manager Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media. The first question he answered was about his future with the Bianconeri.

“I’m happy with the director’s words, but at the moment we haven’t met and we haven’t talked about it.

“We definitely won’t do it this week, because we’re going to Cardiff and it’s right that we’re focused on this global event, because after all the Champions League final is a world event, just like the Super Bowl.

“So we have to face it with great enthusiasm and conviction, but we’ll talk about that next week.

“As for my contract, at the right time the club will decide, they’ll call me because at the end of the day I have a contract until 2018.

“So, as I’ve repeated 1500 billion times: I have a contract until 2018, the club can call me or not call me. After that we’ll see.

“I want to stay, then we have to talk. We’ll see.

“Will the Champions League final affect my decision? Absolutely not, I’ve already taken my decision so we’ll meet when the club deems it appropriate.

“In five years I have a fairly clear idea [of where I’ll be] but I won’t say it now because it would cause a pandemonium.

“So I’ll tell you later, but I think in five years my path will be completely different to what it is now.”

When asked if that meant he would still be in charge at Juve next season, he answered with a laugh -

“If they don’t sack me! In football you can be good today, and tomorrow you’re a little less good, do you understand?

“In the end what matters are results and taking points home, then people can chatter about all the other things.

“Football is great for that, because everything is up for debate so one person can say one thing, another person says another and there’s no proof.

“There’s a lot of ‘if’ but you won’t get anywhere with ‘if’. I think it’s night and right that it should be this way.”

He also spoke about his lineup for the game, revealing that goalkeeper Emil Audero would get his first ever Serie A start -

“Tomorrow on the pitch, here’s who’ll play: Up-front Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain. Giorgio Chiellini won’t be there.

“Between Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Medhi Benatia, two will play. Stephan Lichtsteiner will play. I think Kwadwo Asamoah will play on the left.

“In the midfield Sami Khedira will return from the first minute, at least for a while because I have to see what condition he’s in.

“What’s lacking is the last piece, which will probably be Claudio Marchisio. Then I have three subs.

“Tomorrow Audero will play in goal.

"Is Chiellini a doubt for Cardiff? No, he's working well and there's no doubt about his availability for Cardiff.

"He's on a booking, so he'd be risking next year's Supercoppa."

Mandzukic on Thursday signed a new deal that will keep the Croatian at Juve until 2020.

“I’m happy for Mario because he’s renewed, like Dybala has renewed.

“I think Juventus have made an important strategy, in the sense of keeping the great players, the champions.

“When you keep the great players, the champions, you don’t have to talk about the Coach, because you have to keep the champions.

“So I’m very happy, it shows Juventus are working for the future.”