Ranieri hopes for Real revival

Ranieri: Under pressure

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Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri hopes his side's recent European exploits will help to ignite their season.

The Bianconeri claimed an impressive 2-1 success over Spanish giants Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

With a Turin derby against Torino ahead of them on Saturday, Ranieri is confident the Real victory can help his players overcome a poor start to the campaign which has brought just two wins in seven Serie A fixtures.

"This year we haven't got everything we deserved but you could say that the wind has turned," he said.

"This can only happen if you resist adversity."

Tough

Rumours persist that Ranieri's days at Stadio Olimpico may be numbered, but the former Chelsea coach remains defiant.

"I have always felt that the club and players are behind me," he added.

"The managers have stated this publicly and maybe people will stop writing things for a few weeks.

"On the other hand, all coaches in Italy go through tough times. Both (Marcelo) Lippi and (Fabio) Capello had difficulties here at Juve."

Preparation

With local pride up for grabs against their city rivals this weekend, Ranieri is also hoping that Juve's midweek exertions do not come back to haunt them.

"With respect to us, Torino's players have had more time to prepare for this match, they were able to train, to rest, to look after their minds," he said.

"We only started thinking about the derby after the match against Real. We used up a lot of physical and nervous energy but that match also served to recharge our batteries."