The Juve coach expects the midfielder to be fit for the upcoming European encounter, while stressing his team must improve against lesser opposition
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Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is hopeful Andrea Pirlo will be match-fit in time for their Champions League last-16 second leg at Borussia Dortmund .
The experienced midfielder picked up a knock in the first leg of the encounter and consequently missed the Serie A draw with Roma.
He will also miss Thursday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg with Fiorentina and is expected to watch from the sidelines for upcoming league matches against Sassuolo and Palermo.
Nevertheless, Allegri thinks Pirlo will be raring to go again on March 18 when Juventus defend a 2-1 lead at Signal Iduna Park.
"I hope to have Pirlo back for the game against Borussia Dortmund," Allegri said at a press conference. "We want to get through to the next round in the Champions League."
Allegri then went on to reflect on his team's 1-1 draw with Roma and stressed that Juve still have room for improvement, adding they must do better against lesser opposition.
"We played well in Rome for 70 minutes, showing compactness and maturity," he added. "Then we switched off.
"We must keep improving. Those final minutes in Rome will help us better deal with similar games in the future.
"We've dropped many points against the so-called 'smaller' Serie A sides. We must do a lot better.
"A fourth Scudetto would be an extraordinary feat for the lads. But it's not a given, we can't lose sight of our target."
Juventus remain at the top of Serie A, holding a nine-point lead over second-placed Roma.
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