The coach has insisted his players avoid underestimating the Ligue 1 club but gave a glowing assessment of his charges after they defeated Empoli

Massimiliano Allegri thinks Juventus ‘ Champions League quarter-final opponents Monaco are a worse team than Borussia Dortmund, who they defeated in the previous round, but warned against complacency.

The coach has overseen a rampant season so far in Turin, with the club still fighting on three fronts with two months to go in 2014-15 and the Serie A crown looking all-but secure.

Juve have disappointed in Europe in recent campaigns but will be hoping to turn over a new leaf by conquering French underdogs Monaco in the last eight this month.

“I saw a bit of Monaco’s draw with Saint-Etienne yesterday,” Allegri told reporters. “They might not have as much quality as Borussia Dortmund, but they are difficult to play against and the fact they’re underdogs will give them something extra.

“I told my players it doesn’t matter if you’re more talented in a Champions League quarter-final; you have to be better on the night.

“I brought my concepts to the squad and tried to improve those things that could be improved after winning the Scudetto for three years in a row. This team should be aware it’s one of the best in Europe, but we mustn’t get comfortable.”

Juventus battled to a 2-0 triumph over Empoli on Saturday and Allegri was pleased to see his team record yet another cleansheet – especially having not trained with his players for the best part of a fortnight.

“We allowed Empoli practically nothing in the first half, but after the break we tried to control the situation and did allow some risks to sneak in,” the coach added.

“It’s not easy to win four in a row with cleansheets. Many of the players only returned from international duty on Thursday, so they really do deserve complimenting.

“Empoli are a very organised side and played well, so we had to play between the lines and the only way to open them up was to keep moving their defenders from one side to the other.

“I’d say it’s a great victory against a team in good shape who were unbeaten in eight games.”

Carlos Tevez opened the scoring at the Juventus Stadium with an indirect free kick before Roberto Pereyra doubled the lead deep into second-half stoppage-time.

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