Nedved delighted by Conte return

8 December 2012 14:05

Juventus director Pavel Nedved says Antonio Conte's return will spell trouble for the club's rivals.

Conte will step back into the dugout on Sunday after a six-month ban for his alleged involvement in the latest match-fixing scandal to rock Italy.

And Czech legend Nedved is excited by the prospect of seeing the coach in charge again.

"We're back among the European greats. There are perhaps three or four teams who are better equipped than we are, but there's very little difference," Nedved told Juventus' official website.

"They banned a world-class coach and his return will make it tougher for everyone to stop us."

The director believes his side have the right resources to build upon last season's success and defend their Scudetto.

"Following up last year's achievement will be even more difficult, but I can see the right determination from the entire team," he said.

"They were already thinking about Palermo immediately after going through to the Champions League knockout stages on Wednesday night. That's the right mentality to have in today's football."

Juventus currently occupy first place on the table after winning 11 of their opening 15 games.

They travel to face Palermo on Sunday.