Italy coach Antonio Conte does not expect Juve's Andrea Pirlo to quit

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Italy coach Antonio Conte has said he expects to see Andrea Pirlo in Serie A again next season, despite rumours that the Juventus playmaker could quit the game or go and play abroad.

Pirlo cried after Juve were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in last weekend's Champions League final, but said that was because of disappointment rather than because it had been his last game for the Bianconeri.

Speculation has suggested he could be preparing to quit, but Conte -- who won three Serie A titles with him as Juventus coach -- said he did not imagine that happening.

The Italy coach confirmed that the 36-year-old, who Juve want to stay, would play against Croatia in a Euro 2016 qualifier in Split on Friday.

"Pirlo's one of the few people in the world who can decide for himself when the time is right to call it a day," he said at a news conference."After disappointments, he is always able to charge himself up again and I'm sure he would have played again the day after the Berlin final.

"I don't get the feeling he wants to quit. He's still got the passion and enthusiasm of a little kid. He's still got a lot to give and I hope he carries on. He's going to play for us tomorrow, anyway!"Both Croatia and Italy appear on course for qualification from Group H, with the Croatians two points ahead of their visitors.

"We're up against the best side in the group, but I've never gone into a game aiming to get a draw or the minimum objective," Conte said. "If we do get a draw, then we'll evaluate it based on our performance.

"We are where we deserve to be. Out of eight games, some have been good, some have been less so. One year as coach of the national team has taught me how it's a completely different role to being a club coach. You've just got to adapt and get on with it."