Juventus take on Lazio in the 2017 Coppa Italia Final and the Bianconeri’s defensive rock aka Giorgio Chiellini is in high spirits for the crunch tie after meeting Pope Francis in Rome. 

“It was the third time that I have had the honour of meeting the Pope: it is a unique feeling when you are face to face with someone who will go down in the history of mankind,” said the 32-year-old at the pre-match press conference. 

Juventus are chasing an incredible treble (Serie A, Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League) but the veteran defender insists the Turin-based club are not getting carried away as he said, “No one is thinking about the treble. Our focus is entirely on winning this final and lifting our first piece of silverware this season. We’re fortunate to be here for the third year in a row and we want to return to Turin tomorrow on the back of the same result.” 

Massimiliano Allegri’s men suffered a shock defeat against second-ranked AS Roma on Friday but Chiellini is confident that Juventus will bounce back against Lazio to claim their third Coppa Italia trophy in as many years. “It is clear that we need to do something different tomorrow night. To our credit, we have always bounced back from defeat in style so far this term, using every bad result as inspiration for a positive run afterwards. Doing so is much easier said than done and we will need to be at our very best to overturn this little slump," Chiellini said. 

After overwhelming AS Monaco in the Champions League semifinals, Chiellini feels the the Bianconeri’s encounter with the French side will serve them well against Lazio as they are similar teams.

“Lazio bear a few similarities to Monaco in that they have players with pace who enjoy getting in behind. The likes of Keita and Felipe Anderson, although very different attackers, try to get at you and take you places you don’t want to go just like Mbappé for example.”

Making it clear that Juventus will attempt to take the game by the scruff or the neck from the kick-off, Chiellini signed off with the following statement, “Finals are won or lost in the big moments and we need to make sure that we are the ones who make the most of them tomorrow night.”