The big boys have landed and the excitement is growing among the football fans in Doha, as the date for the Supercoppa Italiana or the Italian Super Cup nears.

This Monday, the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Stadium (Al Sadd Stadium) will play host to what should be an exciting game of football between Serie A winners Juventus and Coppa Italia winners Napoli.

Juve were the first ones to arrive in Doha, in the wee hours of yesterday and their powerhouse Argentine striker, Carloz Tevez, was impressed with the city and expressed his support for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

“Qatar getting to host the World Cup is a wonderful thing. It is a beautiful country and deserves that the world find out more about it and seeing it in a different way altogether,” said the Argentinian during the press conference held yesterday.

“This is my first visit to Doha. This is an amazing country especially when it comes to the buildings and facilities. We in South America are used to it but these are very beautiful ones here,” he added.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri also spoke in favour of Qatar as the 2022 host. “The conditions are right for success but they have to decide whether the World Cup will be held in winter or summer. I am sure Qatar will do its best. And I am sure that it will be an excellent tournament,” Allegri said.

Having already had one training session, Juve are preparing themselves for what their coach believes will be a tough battle. “The Supercoppa for me is of utmost importance. And it’s the same for the team. Napoli are a difficult team. They have a great combination in offence,” said Allegri yesterday.

With Juve currently leading the standings and Napoli in third, twelve points off, Allegri was asked if their opponents would try harder to win this tournament since they didn’t have a chance to win the Serie A title. But Allegri said Napoli still had a lot to play for in the Italian League. “Even if Napoli are not in contention for the title, they are playing for third position on the table which will give them with a chance to play in Europe,” said the Juve coach.

Juventus, one of the powerhouses of European football, have been relegated to the sidelines in recent times but Allegri insisted that his club had it in them to do better. “Do not forget that we reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We have the ability to go further. But European games are different. You are dealing with teams like Bayern Munich, Barca and Chelsea - they are the giants.”

The main danger for Juventus will come from Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain and none better than compatriot Tevez to rate that threat. “Of course Higuain is very dangerous. He gave his maximum during the World Cup. But we as a team are ready for him,” said Tevez.

Tevez admitted that he was feeling tired but said the importance of this game has kept him going. “It’s a bit exhausting but it’s very important event for me and the team.”

When Allegri was asked about Tevez being tired, the coach said: “It was important for us that Tevez played six games and kept us on top. We will deal with his exhaustion, after this we have two weeks off. Hopefully he will enjoy his time then,” added Allegri.

And when asked to rate Tevez, all could Allegri say was, “I cannot rate Tevezm but he is one of the best strikers in the world right now.”

Tevez has been the goal-scoring machine for Juve but there have been times when he has found it difficult to find the back of the net – against Sampdoria –but has found it easy to score against a team like Cagliari. When asked what the difference was Tevez said: “I think that there is a lot of luck involved with goals. Yesterday I hit the post. This was not about the skill of the goalkeeper but purely my bad luck.”

And despite Tevez’s heroics with Juventus, it was Manchester United midfielder Angel di Maria who won Argentina’s foreign-based 2014 Player of the Year. But Tevez believes that di Maria deserves the award. “He has shown amazing talent and he played for Real Madrid and now plays for Manchester United - Two of the greatest teams right now. So I agree with the decision. He is one of the greatest players today.”

One thing is for sure. Come this Monday, Tevez will be expected to lead from the front for Juve. And he will be eager to win bragging rights over Higuain.

 

 

 

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