After a busy international break, club football has returned. Juventus face Lazio this Saturday in what will be the first of an exciting and particularly difficult series of upcoming games. In addition to the long-running favorite Lazio, Juventus will play in the Champions League against Stuttgart on Tuesday and next weekend in the Derby d'Italia against the current league leaders and last year's champions Inter.

Ahead of the clash against Lazio, who are currently one position behind Juventus in the table and separated only by goal difference, Juventus coach Thiago Motta spoke about the mentality of the club and players, especially in the face of a discouraging series of injuries.

“The team is doing very well, the players have trained very well and we will be ready for tomorrow's game,” Motta said of the club's injuries and his morale ahead of Lazio's visit to Turin. “We will not have available (Gleison) Bremer, (Arkadiusz) Milik, (Weston) McKennie, (Teun) Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez or (Francisco) Conceicao, who is suspended. (Nicolo) Fagioli and (Timothy) Weah will be available for selection.”

Despite Juve's injury list – which includes one of the club's key players, Bremer, who could be out for the rest of the season, as well as new signings Koopmeiners and Gonzalez – Motta has high hopes for his players and expects the same level of hard work and enthusiasm that he has demanded so far.

“I want to see a performance that deserves a positive result,” said Motta. “We have to play well in a lot of different areas; Everything is always done to achieve the best result. We have to find the right balance between attack and defense, we will try to set up the team in the best possible way so that the players can develop and the team can perform at its best.

Motta had nothing but praise for Saturday's opponents, Lazio, but assured that his club was competitive and ready to put on a show despite the difficult period.

“Tomorrow we will face a team with players in top form, a very experienced coach who I admire very much and who I have praised several times for how the past few seasons have gone,” said Motta. “We have to be prepared for anything. I expected Lazio to be at the top of the table. They are a good team with a great coach who deserves to win. Tomorrow we have another chance to show that we can be a competitive team even in difficult times. The stadium will be full and that’s a good thing, it means there’s a lot of enthusiasm to watch the team.”

Motta was also asked about the performance of individual players such as Douglas Luiz, Dusan Vlahovic, Vasilije Adzic and Khephren Thuram.

Douglas Luiz is one of the main talking points of Juve's season so far. After joining from Aston Villa for over €50 million this summer, the Brazilian has failed to impress, albeit in limited playing time. Under scrutiny, Motta was positive about Douglas Luiz's performance and role in the team. “It's eye-opening to see people's reactions in difficult moments and I've seen a fantastic reaction from him. He’s done well so far, but he can do better,” Motta said.

Vlahovic has been under constant scrutiny this season, Thuram has not yet found a regular place in the starting XI and Adzic has not yet made his official Juventus debut.

“Vlahovic is doing very well and will play against Lazio. Several players could play as center forwards tomorrow. “It depends on how you understand this role and what tasks you give the striker,” said Motta. “I've seen Adzic play a lot better lately: he's a great player, he definitely has less responsibility than others we have in the squad. He can play as a midfielder, more or less attacking, and when he plays I am convinced he will do well, he is proving that in training. Thuram was always very good. He is a guy who wants to improve every day, he has great ambition. He had a great teacher in his father who always told him the truth. He shows in every training session that he wants to play and he has to keep it up.”