Spalletti calls on Juventus players to show true levels against Galatasaray

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Spalletti calls on Juventus players to show true levels against GalatasarayShareJuventus were thrashed 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off versus Galatasaray, but the Bianconeri are holding out hope.Luciano Spalletti has called on his Juventus side "to be more solid than we have been" ahead of their Champions League play-off second leg against Galatasaray.Despite leading the first leg 2-1 at half-time, the Bianconeri lost 5-2 in Turkiye following a red card for substitute Juan Cabal.That defeat in the first leg was just the second time they have conceded five or more goals in a match in major European competition, following a 7-0 loss to Wiener Sport-Club in the 1958-59 European Cup.Before this season, there have been 49 occasions of a team losing the first leg of a Champions League knockout-stage tie by at least three goals.Only four of those have progressed to the next round – Deportivo de La Coruna (2003-04 versus AC Milan), Barcelona (2016-17 against Paris Saint-Germain), Roma (2017-18 versus Barcelona) and Liverpool (2018-19 against Barcelona).Spalletti is hopeful that Juventus can join that exclusive group at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, but he insists they will need the full support of the fans."Some games aren’t just played, but composed," said Spalletti."It requires the involvement and participation of the whole environment, and we need the spirit of our fans."We know it’s a delicate situation, but we’re asking them to stand by our side tomorrow. With them by our side, we are stronger."We need to be more solid than we have been. We know our worth, we need to be united and compact."We are hammering this home with the guys. We have to show that what we are right now, is not what we’ve shown."We’ve reset, and we’re ready to play the match at our best level. Hard times don’t take away your value, they force you to show it."We won’t live a dream, we’ll live a situation that we’ve earned. We’ll have to go for it, remembering all the efforts we’ve made to be at this level. It is a reward for what we’ve put in to get here."Spalletti calls on Juventus players to show true levels against GalatasarayJuventus were thrashed 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off versus Galatasaray, but the Bianconeri are holding out hope.Luciano Spalletti has called on his Juventus side "to be more solid than we have been" ahead of their Champions League play-off second leg against Galatasaray.Despite leading the first leg 2-1 at half-time, the Bianconeri lost 5-2 in Turkiye following a red card for substitute Juan Cabal.That defeat in the first leg was just the second time they have conceded five or more goals in a match in major European competition, following a 7-0 loss to Wiener Sport-Club in the 1958-59 European Cup.Before this season, there have been 49 occasions of a team losing the first leg of a Champions League knockout-stage tie by at least three goals.Only four of those have progressed to the next round – Deportivo de La Coruna (2003-04 versus AC Milan), Barcelona (2016-17 against Paris Saint-Germain), Roma (2017-18 versus Barcelona) and Liverpool (2018-19 against Barcelona).Spalletti is hopeful that Juventus can join that exclusive group at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, but he insists they will need the full support of the fans."Some games aren’t just played, but composed," said Spalletti."It requires the involvement and participation of the whole environment, and we need the spirit of our fans."We know it’s a delicate situation, but we’re asking them to stand by our side tomorrow. With them by our side, we are stronger."We need to be more solid than we have been. We know our worth, we need to be united and compact."We are hammering this home with the guys. We have to show that what we are right now, is not what we’ve shown."We’ve reset, and we’re ready to play the match at our best level. Hard times don’t take away your value, they force you to show it."We won’t live a dream, we’ll live a situation that we’ve earned. We’ll have to go for it, remembering all the efforts we’ve made to be at this level. It is a reward for what we’ve put in to get here."