Juventus head coach Antonio Conte admits that his players have to deal with fatigue ahead of Thursday's visit to Lyon in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. Juve are almost sure of winning the Serie A title again but they have suffered their second defeat of the season last weekend, 2-0 at Napoli. That result ended a 14-match unbeaten streak for Juventus in all competitions. "We were off-colour," Conte said after the loss to Napoli. "We are playing so many games right now and always with the same players due to injuries. Most of my players are tired as they haven't had a chance to rest."
The match at Lyon will be tough for the Italian champions as the French side have lost just one game in the Europa League this season. However, Juventus will be welcoming Carlos Tevez back into the starting eleven after he missed the match at Napoli through suspension. The Serie A leaders will miss defender Andrea Barzagli, Angelo Ogbonna and Federico Peluso due to injuries. Lyon knocked out Viktoria Plzen in the previous round thanks to a 4-1 first-leg win but they lost the second leg 2-1.
Lyon have lost the local derby to Saint-Etienne in the French league and that was a setback for their Champions League hopes for next season. They are currently nine points behind third-placed Lille, the final Champions League spot, but they could qualify for the Europa League through the League Cup as they will face PSG in the final later this month. The French side will miss quite a few players through injury, first and foremost playmaker Clement Grenier. Defender Miguel Lopes is also set to miss out while Gueida Fofana, Mouhamadou Dabo and Milan Bisevac are all in doubt.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Lyon win - 19/4
Draw - 11/4
Juventus win - 7/10
04/03/14, 09:04:32 AM
