Manuel Pellegrini’s team had a less intense session today, with the usual warm-up exercises, rounds and practice shots at goal.
The 19 players within the group: (Willy, Gámez, Weligton, Demichelis, Camacho, Joaquín, Toulalan, Juanmi, Portillo, Seba, Kameni, Mathijsen, Monreal, Maresca, Duda, Eliseu, Bounanotte, Sergio Sánchez and Isco) are staying at the Gran Hotel Salerno ahead of tonight’s match.
The stadium playing host to this evening’s game between Juventus and Málaga has standing room stalls, and is home to Salernitana, a club founded in 1919, currently in the ‘Serie C2’ (equivalent to Third Division in Spain). With a capacity of 31,300 in the Arechi stadium, 26,000 tickets have been sold so far for tonight’s game. Juventus has a strong following in southern Italy, and is the last ‘Scudetto’ winner and currently in preparation for the Italian Super Cup. There’s a fantastic view of the Mediterranean and the bay of Salerno from the terraces of this stadium, inaugurated in 1990, and remodelled in 1998.
Doors open 75 minutes before the match starts; the fourth pre-season game for Málaga CF, following the friendlies against Xerez, and two in Venezuela against Zamora and Caracas.
The team will return to the hotel following the game, and leave for Athens in the morning, ahead of their encounter with Olympiakos on Tuesday.
