Spartak Moscow boss Massimo Carrera admits he would prefer to face Chelsea over Juventus in the Champions League. “I’m a Juventino in my DNA!”

Speaking to Radio Uno on Monday, Carrera explained his blueprint for Spartak’s first Russian title in 16 years, reflected on Antonio Conte’s success with Chelsea and touched on Juve’s chances of a Treble.

“Spartak? They hadn’t won the League for 16 years,” said Conte’s former assistant and ex-Bianconeri teammate.

Spartak Moscow boss Massimo Carrera admits he would prefer to face Chelsea over Juventus in the Champions League. “I’m a Juventino in my DNA!”

Speaking to Radio Uno on Monday, Carrera explained his blueprint for Spartak’s first Russian title in 16 years, reflected on Antonio Conte’s success with Chelsea and touched on Juve’s chances of a Treble.

“Spartak? They hadn’t won the League for 16 years,” said Conte’s former assistant and ex-Bianconeri teammate.

“I was able to convey the ideas of Italian football and convince the players, who showed they were professionals.

“Why I chose Spartak? Because this offer came from Spartak to be an assistant.

“Then we were eliminated from the Europa League and the club asked me if I wanted to take charge of two games while a new Coach came in.

“I accepted, then they asked me to stay on and I accepted again.

“I found a League that isn’t very tactical compared to the Italian one: there’s so much running, and it’s not easy because all the games are dangerous.

“Would I prefer to avoid Conte’s Chelsea or Juventus in the Champions League? I’d like to avoid Juventus.

“I’m a Juventino in my DNA and I hope I can avoid them for so many reasons, as well as because they’re strong.

“All jokes aside, I’m happy with what we’ve done at Spartak and if it came down to Chelsea or Juve, I think that’s already an important achievement.

“How many Russians are there in my team and how far can Spartak go? I have five because I’m obliged to play five. It’s a complication for changes [to the playing staff].

“[The club] expect so many things from us next season, so we’ll have to make some changes to strengthen the team.

“We’ll be playing on several fronts, so we must try to equip the team accordingly.

“Difficulties of coaching abroad? We have to adapt to the sporting mentality of those countries.

“There are less tactics here and you have to try to understand that in small doses: you can’t not think of going to a country with another culture and imposing your own mentality.

“Juve’s defeat to Roma due to the Coppa Italia final? "No because it could’ve been a decisive match.

“In football, every now and then there are some of these drops in tension, which are difficult to explain, but there are two finals to explain too. It would’ve been better to win.

“Have I heard from Conte? He complimented me and I did so back. I had no doubts about him, he’s one of the best Coaches in the world.

“Maybe he struggled a bit more than expected at the beginning, but with his passion, he managed to drag the players through and make them understand what he wanted.

“Would I advise him to stay at Chelsea or go to Inter? I won’t advise him to do anything, he’s big enough to decide what he’ll do in the future.

“I don’t know what he wants to do, but I don’t feel comfortable about giving him any advice.

“Inter closer than it seems? I don’t know. We’ve talked but not about this.

“Dybala or Mandzukic the real ‘irreplaceable’ for Juve? If Allegri has made certain choices then there’s a reason why.”

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