Juve host PSV Eindhoven tomorrow night in what will mark Thiago's debut as a coach in the competition.
Your emotions for the debut?
"Great pride to start this competition. Then we play at home against a good team. I can't wait to start the match. It will be a great match between two teams that want to play football, for us and for the fans. We want to put in a great performance to bring the result on our side."
Will there be 12 debutants tomorrow? Did you lose many individual duels against Empoli?
"In football everything counts, experience, enthusiasm, desire and physique. Many things that make a team do well or not. At Empoli we played well without getting the result we wanted. Now it's a closed chapter."
How are you and the entire staff experiencing this eve?
"We feel very good. We have been working for a while to experience emotions like the ones we will experience tomorrow, with great happiness and pride for having arrived at this moment with this competition against a great team. We want to experience a great match by taking it where we want and not where they want."
A judgment on the new Champions League?
"I really liked the previous format, but this one too. We will face many different teams, but it is even more beautiful and stimulating, because we can study and see many different things. For the championship I don't think it has much of an impact. We are only thinking about tomorrow's match against a good team, and we will have time to leave them behind. What matters is tomorrow, when we get to the next matches we will think about it."
How do you face PSV?
"It's important to have respect for all the opponents we've faced. We have to think about ourselves and what we have to do on the pitch. They are a team used to having a lot of possession. We have to recover the ball a lot and exploit it very well. Make the opponent play a different game than the one they're used to."
Will a draw with this format be worth even less?
"Who knows, because no one has ever played with this format. The important thing is to start well tomorrow. We will have to put in a good performance to get the result tomorrow and then think about the next one. And we will go like this until the end."
Will you need to have more balance tomorrow?
"As we have done until today. We have to be a team when we defend, not leave spaces between the lines. Little changes, the quality of the opponent changes, but we will be the team we need to be and continue to improve to put it into practice tomorrow."
What do you expect from Koopmeiners?
"We expect the same from Koop that we expect from others. He is doing well, the team is doing well, if he plays he will give his best. In the summer he made a great effort to get to this team, he is one more. We only have strong players who together can do great things."
On Schouten?
"Yes, we have a relationship. When I signed with Juventus he sent me a beautiful message. I'm not surprised by his level and the career he's having. He's a very available guy, perfect for dealing with different situations. He also plays as a central defender in his team. I wish him the best, not for tomorrow when we'll be opponents, he's a great player and a great opponent."
Juventus is under pressure because they haven't won the Champions League since '96?
"I don't think it's pressure, but Juventus has a beautiful history that is carried around the world. They have many fans and have done many things well and we bring this history in a positive way. We are focused on tomorrow's match and the rest matters little. Tomorrow we want to play our game and get the result on our side."
How is Koopmeiners?
"He doesn't look like a player who hasn't trained for a month. He's fine, he's settled in well with the group. Right from the start, understanding what he has to do with his teammates to put quality at the service of the team. He played 95 minutes in the last match, and he came on against Roma, whoever is called up tomorrow is fine and ready for tomorrow. The 11 who start will do very well."
How do you see PSV?
"It's not just talking about Juventus, but talking about tomorrow's match. We will face a very offensive team, with quality players. We have great respect for them, great enthusiasm and great energy. Face each other on the pitch to see the level, we want to impose our game. We are a team that is doing well, the team's attitude is right but we want to impose our game and bring the match to our side."
How is Vlahovic?
"He's living well. The important thing is to accept criticism as it comes and things as they are and move forward. He's scored goals, he'll continue to score and I'm sure of it, the important thing is that he continues with the spirit he has now to help the team, if we haven't conceded goals it's also thanks to him. A ball that comes to him clean puts him in the best conditions to score goals, football as I see it is everyone's responsibility. He must accept criticism and continue forward as he is doing at the moment."
Where would you place PSV in the top five league? How many points do you need to advance to the next round?
"I don't know, that would be saying something without any certainty. We'll see tomorrow what level they are. From what we've seen, they're a strong, offensive team, we want to give our all. I think they've done a study on how many points we need. We need 23 points to finish first. I don't know how they did this study but only tomorrow's match counts. We don't have to do the math, we have to look at it from match to match."
What do you bring from his experience as a footballer in the Champions League? Will Danilo's experience be needed?
"Nothing as a player, many years have passed. He's fine. The important thing is to continue with this determination, to prepare well."
What would you like to see tomorrow to make the leap in quality?
"In the end, football is simple: 11 attack and the same number defend. I want to see this tomorrow, regroup, press, help each other, be supportive and protect our goal as we have always done. Make the difference when we have the ball and use it in the right way, attack together and quickly, give the team time to get to the opponent's half and develop the game there to finish the action, this is what I would like to see on the pitch tomorrow. We are doing well, the path is right because the attitude is right, they train and behave in the right way and tomorrow we will have the opportunity to put in a good performance."
How many points do we need to get through the group?
"I don't know where I would put PSV in one of the top European leagues. They are strong, offensive, with good players and tomorrow we will compete on the pitch, we will give our best to get to what we want. To finish first in the group we need 23 points for direct qualification, I think a study said, it doesn't worry me, I'm just thinking about tomorrow's match, doing well, focusing and putting energy. We will have time to think about the rest, we will think match by match."
How high can Juve go in Europe?
"As high as possible but it starts tomorrow, compete, be competitive on every ball, have common ideas. Tomorrow it is important to have control and the ball on our side, we must be competitive against everyone starting tomorrow."
How is the group experiencing the eve of the Champions League?
"We inside, me but not only me, are experiencing this moment with great enthusiasm and a positive spirit towards the start of a different competition, different emotions and a beautiful match awaits us."
What would you like to see differently compared to other games?
"Football is simple. There are 11 attackers and 11 defenders. I would like to see 11 players who defend when necessary, change pace and press to recover the ball. Always be generous, supportive, protect our goal. When we have the ball, have more control of the game, develop the game to give attackers and midfielders time to get to the opponent's area. I would like to see a complete team. The team is doing well, the attitude is right. The way they train is right, we have to have the opportunity to put in a great performance."
Can PSV be called a bit naive?
"I don't agree with this observation. They are a very strong team, I have seen their games previously in the Champions League, they have players who always know what to do on the pitch. We are all living this moment with enthusiasm, we are starting a different competition, with different emotions, with a beautiful game to play tomorrow with the result on our side."
Is the enthusiasm of the people helping you?
"It helps a lot and they want to do that little bit more for the fans. We have the responsibility that we have and we live well with this responsibility it's beautiful. So many people who come to see us tomorrow. So many people who come for enthusiasm and who come to see their team and their favorite player and this brings great energy to do our job to the maximum and we only think about tomorrow to put in a great performance. Then after that we will have time to think about the next match."