TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 12: Igor Tudor, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus and Lecce at Allianz Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Igor Tudor says he is pleased with what he has seen from his Juventus players thus far at the FIFA Club World Cup, has spoken encouragingly about the influence of John Elkann and has spoken about the prospect of qualifying ‘early’ for the tournament’s knock-out rounds.
The Bianconeri will take on Wydad AC of Morocco in their second group stage match at the 2025 Club World Cup, following a 5-0 victory over Al Ain of the UAE in their first test.
With Manchester City also having won their first match of the tournament, against Juve’s upcoming opponents Wydad, the Old Lady have an opportunity to secure a spot in the knock-out rounds after just two games if they are able to claim victory in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Despite an encouraging start to life in the United States, Tudor believes that it is impossible to make any firm predictions at the Club World Cup.
“It’s a different opponent, we’re playing at a different time. We’ve prepared to the maximum, like always. It’s an important match against a quality team and we will have to give our best going full throttle for 90 minutes,” the Juventus head coach said during his pre-match press conference, reported via TMW.
Tudor: ‘I’m happy, I’ve felt good with Juventus since day one’
With Juventus playing in the early kick-off slot, beginning at 13.00 local time (17.00 BST), Tudor was asked about the intense heat he and his players are expected to face: “We have to prepare to face it, but it will be the same for both teams, and then we will have to forget about it, to focus on what we have to do,” he replied.
“Wydad could have scored two goals in the first half against City. Each game is a test in itself. It’s impossible to make comparisons between one game and another. Each game has its own particularities.”
Tudor went on to give an update of what he has seen from his players in training: “I don’t see any fatigue in the team, I just see enthusiasm and a lot of pleasure in playing together.
“They approached the match against Al Ain in the way I like, also because of the good work that we’re doing. I’m happy, I’ve felt good with the team since day one, and I feel good energy around us, even in the club.
“I hope that we can do great things together, because the history of this club is about doing great things.”
And on the presence of Elkann, head of the Agnelli family, who accompanied the team to their now infamous meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier in the week, Tudor added: “He’s a constant, nice and important presence.
“If I may say so, he makes his presence felt in the right ways and with the right words. I really liked how he spoke to the players in Turin. It’s good energy on his part. The players have taken it as an additional motivation. He was happy with the performance and the energy given on the pitch after the last game.”
And, on what he hopes to achieve when Juventus take on Wydad on Sunday, Tudor added: “Qualifying early would be nice, of course, but you can’t plan anything. You have to think game-by-game.
“We have to try not to think negatively, and avoiding a surprise is mine and the players’ job. I don’t think about the finish line, I think about what we have to do from one training to the next. We have to live in the present, we learn from the past and we build for the future.”
