Security tight for upcoming Juventus-AC Milan match in Turin
ROME --
It's been quite a week for Juventus players Patrice Evra, Paul Pogba and Sami Khedira, who were all on international duty when explosions occurred outside the Stade de France a week ago.
On Saturday, the three are expected to start against AC Milan in a highly anticipated Serie A match.
Security will be tight at the Juventus Stadium, with Madonna also playing in Turin this weekend and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi slated to be in the city, which is located little more than an hour's drive from the French border.
A capacity crowd of more than 40,000 fans is expected.
''It's a delicate moment in the history of the world but surely tomorrow we will play in complete security,'' Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said Friday. ''I've thought a lot about what happened in Paris, and I spoke to Khedira, Pogba and Evra, who were there. I found them fairly calm.''
Khedira was on Germany's squad while Pogba and Evra were with France's team.
Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic likened the situation after the deadly terror attacks in Paris to the war he experienced in the former Yugoslavia.
''At least there you knew who was attacking you and where the danger was coming from. There were bombs and curfews,'' Mihajlovic said. ''Here you don't know what to expect. You go to a restaurant or a stadium and they shoot at you.''
Mihajlovic, the son of a Croatian mother and a Serbian father, recalled how residents defended a main bridge in Belgrade during the war in the 1990s.
''The people defended it with their own bodies, 24 hours a day - 10-15,000 people. They held concerts and went with their children, hoping that they wouldn't blow it up,'' Mihajlovic said. ''And they didn't bomb it.
''Now the goal of the terrorists is to make us live in terror. We can't be overcome by terror,'' Mihajlovic added.
Like other leagues around the world, Serie A will show solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks by playing the French anthem before each match and displaying the French flag. The same tribute was already made at Serie B games last weekend.
Officials in the northeastern city of Udine announced that metal detectors would be set up for fans entering the Stadio Friuli for Sunday's game against Sampdoria.
Serie B club Bari asked fans coming to Sunday's match against Livorno not to bring or explode firecrackers - or other pyrotechnic materials - both inside or outside the stadium. The club said the request was made to avoid creating ''panic situations.''
The league action kicks off Saturday with Roma visiting Bologna. Serie A leader Fiorentina visits Empoli on Sunday in a Tuscan derby and Inter Milan hosts promoted Frosinone at the San Siro.
Milan is sixth, seven points behind Fiorentina, and Juventus is seventh, two points further back.
''It's one of the biggest matches of the season,'' Allegri said. ''Tomorrow should be a beautiful evening of sport.''