Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti won’t have too many selection dilemmas heading into Saturday’s match against Sassuolo, but he still has an interesting decision to make up front.
The Bianconeri are currently riding a two-match streak that has allowed them to overtake the free-falling Roma. However, they’re still trailing behind Como in the race for 4th place, albeit by a single point.
Therefore, the Turin-based giants cannot afford to make any mistakes when hosting Fabio Grosso’s band at the Allianz Stadium this weekend.
The expected Juventus starting lineup against Sassuolo
With the team only competing on one front at this stage of the season, Spalletti will certainly field his best available XI.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Mattia Perin will get the nod for a fifth straight time ahead of Michele Di Gregorio, who has now been relegated to the understudy role.
In the backline, Gleison Bremer and Lloyd Kelly should combine once more at the expense of Federico Gatti, who will start on the bench again.
Pierre Kalulu and Andrea Cambiaso are the natural options for the full-back roles, especially with Emil Holm ruled out of action.
In the middle of the park, Teun Koopmeiners could be the favourite to start alongside Teun Koopmeiners. However, this decision largely hinges on Khephren Thuram’s availability.
The Frenchman has made a swift recovery from injury, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be deemed fit enough for a starting berth.
Jeremie Boga the favourite to lead the line
Weston McKennie should operate in a hybrid role once again, while Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao occupy the wing roles.
Finally, the pink newspaper tips Jeremie Boga to maintain his role as a false 9 after scoring the winner in Udine last weekend.
Tuttosport doesn’t rule out Jonathan David’s return to the starting lineup, but acknowledges Boga as the favourite to keep his place in the lineup at the Canadian’s expense.
Juventus Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Koopmeiners (Thuram); Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; Boga (David).