Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri is happy to see his team not running away in preseason as he wants to avoid building up media expectations ahead of their Serie A return.

"It is important for me to talk to the players and see them put my suggestions into practice on the field. I saw this against Hamburg and am convinced I'll see the same with Sunderland," said Ranieri ahead of today's match against the Black Cats.

"I am not particularly interested in the result at this stage. In fact, it was almost a good thing we lost the first two, because victories would have had the newspapers claiming Juve were favourites for the title. In all honesty, I prefer to start in the shadows with our headlights off.

"I like changing tactical systems so that I can get as many players as possible in shape. Tiago has done so much more than I had asked. He wants to participate in every move, pushed by the desire to prove himself, but that meant he couldn't find his place on the field. We discussed it and he is a player I am really counting on."