Collecchio, 29 October 2024 - Coach Fabio Pecchia's statements during the interview before Matchday 10 against Juventus, given in the press room of the Mutti Training Centre in Collecchio.

As a player and as a coach you had a past with Juventus. Is this a special occasion for you? 

‘For me the move to Juve, as a player many years ago and as a coach with the Under-23s, represents an important step in my career. Also from the human point of view I have met many people who have made me who I am.'

Even for the Parma fans it is not a match like any other. Do you feel like sending a message to them? 

‘Continue to cheer, continue to persevere, continue to have faith in this group, as I saw on Sunday, in the second half, at the Stadio Tardini. A good atmosphere was created. Keep going and I'm convinced we'll give them satisfaction.'

How is the team? There has only been time to train two days, Monday and today, in addition to Wednesday's final training session in Turin. Will there be any changes compared to Sunday? 

‘I have to take into account the game and the condition of some players because of how they came out. Overall the group is well, on Wednesday we'll have a few more hours to evaluate and put together the best formation before facing Juve.'

Could Osorio be in the squad? What is his condition? 

‘We have nursed him back, he is also in the group. It's almost a complete group, of course not everyone is at their peak, because of different situations'.

Dennis Man was substituted on Sunday. Is it linked to his physical condition? 

‘We have the condition of someone who is growing, also seeing the games. Like the condition of Charpe who played 45 minutes at a high level, as well as Almqvist and Cancellieri. Then within the group there are players like Benek and Estévez who are recovering from injuries, so their condition is improving but cannot be at the top, of course. As for Dennis, it is a special situation, because after the extraordinary season he had, he had the European Championships, he continues to play and a lot. He is a strong player and important for us, probably at this moment, from the athletic point of view, he is experiencing a physiological decline'.

Is the match against Juventus the test of maturity for Parma's best young players? 

‘It is the right test, we are the youngest team in Serie A but we face a top club with an equally young team. It's a team that has a clear idea and wants to play, I hope for a good performance and a good game.

'To go beyond our limits', these were the words used on Sunday after Empoli. What needs to be trained and strengthened before facing Juve? The head, the body, the soul or what else? 

‘Going to the stadium and facing a top team with strong youngsters is stimulating for all of us. Especially for the boys, we will have to manage our emotions and direct them on the pitch on what we have to do, staying true to our principles. Defending and playing to score goals’. 

Will it be a more balanced Parma, like the one seen in the last month, or will it be a more daring Parma like the one seen in August? 

‘Our path is this, quite clear. I would like to see a certain solidity and balance that we have shown in the last few games. But also in the possession phase, when we have to go and attack, be bold, light and with the desire to attack the spaces, play at speed, to go and score goals.’

Inter 4-4 Juve, it was a commercial for Serie A and a commercial for football in the world. What impressed you the most about the Juve we saw on Sunday - the desire to never give up? 

‘As Inzaghi said, it was a very good game for the neutral fans, with eight goals and many chances. A match that was never settled. What I liked most, apart from the organisation, was a team that believed in the result until the end, they didn't give up. There was a moment when they could have succumbed, but they clung to the result with solidity, and the DNA of the Bianconeri team came out’.

What kind of Juve can be expected? 

‘The Juve same as always, with the boost of the fans, a Juve that plays with great possession. They will have many quality players both in the middle and on the flanks’.

It is on the flanks that the best clashes are expected; could this be the key to the match? 

‘The match will be played there; they have players of quality and speed. But we have them too. But we know what we are up against, who we are up against, who has a structure and is strong in all departments.