Cremonese boss Davide Nicola has hit back at Juventus coach Igor Tudor after comments made by the Bianconeri manager ahead of their Champions League fixture against Real Madrid. Tudor had cited the newly promoted Lombardy club as an example of an opponent that could have made Juventus’s fixture list less demanding, suggesting his side had so far faced several top teams across both domestic and European competitions.
Nicola’s response arrived swiftly. Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as quoted by IlBianconero), the Cremonese coach said: “I read something, but frankly it doesn’t carry much weight. I believe he meant that if Juventus had faced teams with different objectives, they might have picked up a few more points. But those are Tudor’s thoughts — he’s Juventus’s coach. I don’t get involved in these little games. And anyway, that’s far from certain: it’s actually more likely that a title-chasing side wins more matches against teams fighting to avoid relegation — but you never know. That’s the beauty of football.”
Nicola’s remarks add spice ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two coaches. Cremonese are set to host Juventus at the Stadio Zini on Saturday, 1 November. Before that, Tudor’s team will travel to Rome to face Lazio on Sunday, followed by a midweek clash against Udinese at the Allianz Stadium.
The intense run continues for the Bianconeri, who will resume Champions League duties on Tuesday, 4 November, at home to Sporting Lisbon, before wrapping up the stretch of fixtures ahead of the third international break with the Turin derby.
