Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said that his team's priority at home to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday would be not to concede, suggesting that the rule makes home teams cautious as much as encouraging away teams to attack.
The away goals rule was originally introduced into European football to encourage visiting teams to attack, yet Massimiliano Allegri's comments on Monday suggested it has become 'counter-productive'.
The Juventus coach said that his team's priority at home to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday would be 'not to concede', suggesting that the rule makes home teams cautious as much as encouraging away teams to attack.
"Playing at home, it is fundamental that we don't concede," the phlegmatic coach told reporters ahead of the first leg of the last 16 tie. "But it's going to be difficult because they score a lot of goals. Borussia have four very fast, technically gifted forwards. We've got to limit their strengths and try to play a good, intense, physical and technical game," he added.
Allegri also played down the importance of the match for the Serie A champions who failed to make the knockout stages last season. "It's absolutely not the game of the season, when we have so many more games to play," he mused. "It's not a final, it's a round of 16 match and there are 180 minutes to play.
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Allegri also pointed out that, although Borussia have had a difficult domestic season and at one point dropped to bottom place, there has been almost no pressure on the club to sack coach Juergen Klopp. "It shows the difference in mentality between Germany and Italy," said Allegri, who was repeatedly under threat of the sack at his previous job with AC Milan.
Borussia have climbed up to midtable in the Bundesliga after winning their last three games. "We knew we would be much stronger in the second half of the season.We know that the day after tomorrow, our relegation battle goes on. But tomorrow night, you're not going to see that we're in a relegation battle in the Bundesliga," said Klopp.
"We were never more motivated for the Champions League than the Bundesliga, we just got a bit more room in the Champions League, which will not be the case here. I'm just glad that the first half of the season is behind us now," signed off Klopp.
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