Preview: Del Piero faces more time on sidelines

January 27, 2001
Onefootball.com

Alessandro del Piero may pay the price for admitting that he could leave Juventus at the end of the season by again being left out of the side to face Vicenza on Sunday.

Del Piero revealed on Friday that he fears being replaced by Bari prodigy Antonio Cassano in the same way that he replaced the legendary Roberto Baggio at Juve in 1993. He sees a move abroad as a way to resurrect his stuttering, injury-hit career.

He enjoys a love-hate relationship with the Juve fans and has struggled to hold down a place in the Juventus side. If he does not play regularly, Del Piero will almost certainly leave in the summer.

But for coach Carlo Ancelotti there are more important immediate matters to atend to - such as catching Roma at the top of the table, starting with victory over Vicenza.

"There is no problem with Del Piero, we need him, he will have his space to play," he said. "We have to think only to win. We are playing very well and this is the answer to all the people that criticized us a few weeks ago.

"We have pride, we are a great team and on Sunday it will be a big problem for Vicenza - we have to win."

Juventus (probable): Van der Sar, Birindelli, Iuliano, Montero, Pessotto, Zambrotta, Tacchinardi, Davids; Zidane, Inzaghi, Trezeguet

Vicenza (probable): Sterchele, Cardone, Marco Aurelio, Dicara, Tomas, Sommese, Firmani, Bernardini, Dal Canto, Toni, Zauli
.