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Juventus set to sack coach Thiago Motta: reports / Photo: © AFP
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Juventus set to sack coach Thiago Motta: reports
Serie A giants Juventus are set to sack coach Thiago Motta less than one season into his tenure, Italian media reported Sunday.
According to sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport television, 42-year-old Motta will be replaced by former Juventus player Igor Tudor.
The Croatian will then be tasked with securing fourth place in Serie A, the last qualifying place for the Champions League, which is crucial for Juventus' fragile finances.
Juventus currently sit a disappointing fifth place in the league with just nine matches left to play.
According to the Italian press, Juventus could announce Motta's departure and Tudor's arrival on Sunday.
When contacted by AFP, the club declined to comment.
Following an excellent 2023-24 season at the helm of Bologna, Motta arrived at Juventus to much fanfare last July, but results on the pitch since then have dampened the enthusiasm of the club's fans and directors alike.
Under the Brazilian-Italian coach, Juventus have played 42 matches in all competitions, winning 18, drawing 16 and losing eight.
Last month, they were knocked out of both the Champions League and the Italian Cup, which they had won in 2024, by PSV Eindhoven and Empoli, respectively.
The two most recent matches under Motta were a 4-0 hammering at the hands of title contenders Atalanta -- their heaviest home loss since 1967 -- and a 3-0 defeat at eighth-placed Fiorentina.
J.L. de Oliveira--JDB
