Del Neri: Ignore Inter, focus on City

Del Neri: Ignore Inter, focus on City

Published Sep. 30, 2010 11:23 a.m. ET

Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri wants his side to focus fully on Thursday's Europa League clash with Manchester City - and ignore Inter Milan.

He is hoping they will play to their maximum and put thoughts of Sunday's Serie A match with Inter on the backburner.

After managing only a home draw against Lech Poznan in the opening group game, Del Neri knows there is little room for error.

He said: "I am only interested in the game against Manchester City not the following match. We will see then if we have improved.

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"A new team always make mistakes. You not only need to fix the problems but also to focus on what you do well."

Veteran striker Alessandro Del Piero expects a rough ride from City, who started with a win against Salzburg, at Eastlands.

The 35-year-old has vast experience of playing against English sides over the years.

And he knows City will be fired up for the first leg in front of their own fans.

Speaking ahead of a training session, he said: "Manchester City are in excellent shape and it will be very hard for us. It always is when you are in England.

"They have invested heavily and one of the reasons they can be successful is that they have a great squad of players."

Juventus, like City, are in transition with a new coach in Del Neri, and are struggling to get going in Serie A.

Del Piero added: "We have a good base to build on and are at the beginning of a journey. Hopefully we our results will improve as time goes on."

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