'You can't even keep your eyes open' - Juventus players warned they're in for a tough time in Champions League win as coach Luciano Spalletti highlights brutal weather conditions and pitch concerns

Juventus will visit Norwegian heavyweights and giant killers Bodo/Glimt on matchday five of the Champions League on Tuesday. It will be an extremely tricky challenge for the Bianconeri, given the adverse weather and pitch conditions on offer at the Aspmyra Stadion. 

Located north of the Arctic Circle, the Aspmyra Stadion is among the northernmost footballing venues in the world, located at 67 degrees latitude. Situated on the west coast of Norway, it is a hotspot for tourists and locals to experience the enchanting Northern Lights (or aurora borealis). Weather forecasts for Tuesday indicate temperatures sitting at an icy 1°C, along with potential snowfall. 

However, it's not just the unforgiving weather conditions visiting teams have to deal with. Aspmyra Stadion uses an artificial pitch, a surface that often challenges visiting teams. The likes of Jose Mourinho and Ange Postecoglou have often called Bodo out for their use of the "plastic" field. 

Speaking to Sky Sport at the pre-match press conference on Monday, Juve boss Spalletti acknowledged the challenge of playing at the Aspmyra Stadion and conceded that the hosts will head into the clash with an obvious advantage.

"Not the ideal climate for a football match? It's a very tough match. We were joking with the players and I told them it's tougher than they expected," said the ex-Napoli boss. "I've had to deal with these temperatures on these pitches, and it's a different experience, breathing in this cold air. Sometimes you can't even keep your eyes open. But there's always the thrill of the challenge."

Spalletti also addressed the team's recent string of unconvincing displays, reassuring that the best is yet to come.

"I think it's premature to completely overturn everything right now. We haven't done well, but we haven't done badly either," he explained. "We're in that middle ground where, with some new things, we can raise the bar. We have a bit of everything here, but we need to recognise them and deploy them at the right times.

"These guys are perfect; they're eager to participate and show off their skills. Tomorrow I'll change something, otherwise we risk losing confidence, and then we need to analyse things properly.

"In the camp, there's no longer the rigidity of roles that seems like disorder but is actually freedom. In that freedom, you have to find balance. This constant rotation of roles and the search for a position is an advantage."

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Spalletti went on to highlight the biting cold and artificial turf at Bodo, a far cry from the traditional grass pitches found in Europe’s elite leagues. 

"Did you mention the weather? Let's address one thing first, because it seems like we've had a bit of a disaster," he added. "But the players haven't performed as badly as people pretend. I was the first to say we needed to do more, and we need to get them out there, we need to use the horses we have and all our qualities. I've seen the desire in this team, and you either face responsibility or you lose. 

"The pitch and the climate are a disadvantage, because I've been fortunate enough to work abroad, and the air you breathe is different. It's all a matter of habit, and it's different from ours. Our desire to perform must make up for this gap. They're also good at selecting players, and not just for the pitch and the cold; in an international comparison, they have a significant value.

"[Playing at the Aspmyra Stadion] is a real difficulty, due to habits and rebounds. We'll certainly pay something for this, but we'll face it. We all had fears, then after facing them we adapted, but this can give us some satisfaction. The pitch bothers us, but we want to perform our best."

After beginning his spell with the Old Lady with a 2-1 win over Cremonese, Spalletti's side have slumped to three straight draws. Their European campaign stands at risk of collapsing if they fail to come away with maximum points from Norway on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Juve sit in seventh position in Serie A, seven points off the pace. However, Spalletti has assured that his troops will fight for the Scudetto until the end.