Allegri hopes to recover Higuain for Tottenham vs Juventus

The Argentine will not be in tomorrow's game against Lazio

ROME - Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said today that Argentine Gonzalo Higuain will miss tomorrow's clash against Lazio, but hopes to recover "Pipita" for next Wednesday's European game against Tottenham.

"Higuain will not be there (against Lazio), he has trained a little today, but he was still in pain, there are still five days left for London, we have to be confident and optimistic," said Allegri at a press conference held at the sports center of Juventus in Vinovo (Turin, north).

In this match, valid for the return of the knockout stages of the Champions League, the Torinese will need to win or draw with more than three goals to seal the pass to the quarterfinals, after the 2-2 draw of the first leg, played in the Allianz Stadium of Turin.

"Now we have to prepare for tomorrow's match, which is difficult, in London we will think later and we will play there with the players that are available," said the Turinese coach.

Not counting Higuain for the visit to Lazio, Allegri announced that the Argentine Paulo Dybala will start, after the "Jewel" played on Wednesday the last seven minutes of the semifinal of the Italian Cup against Atalanta, in which the Juventus got the pass to the final.

At the press conference, the Italian coach also reviewed the situation of his injured players and gave good news about the Colombian Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who has been out for more than two months because of a problem in the pubis.

"Cuadrado has gone back to work (on the sidelines) and I think that the group will be added soon," he said of the Colombian end, which went through the operating room on January 30.

The player who was responsible for replacing the Colombian end in recent weeks has been the Brazilian Douglas Costa, a player Allegri considers "undervalued."

"Douglas Costa is an extraordinary player, for me he is undervalued, because he dribbles very well, he generates numerical superiority, at this moment he is physically and mentally well, he has understood Italian football and has entered the team very well", said Efe.