On Friday night, Como will host Juventus in the opening fixture of Serie A Round 24. The Bianconeri will be looking to complete the double over the newly promoted side after beating them by three unanswered goals on the first matchday of the season.
The Bianconeri have been enduring a rough patch as of late, but they’re hoping that last weekend’s come-from-behind victory over Empoli can spark the beginning of a positive run.
But while securing a victory on Friday is a must, Thiago Motta will also have an eye on the upcoming fixtures, with a crucial double-header against PSV Eindhoven plus a Derby d’Italia against Inter all to contend over the next couple of weeks.
So how will the Juventus manager line up his men at the Sinigaglia?
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Michele Di Gregorio will once again start in goal, with the centre-back partnership of Federico Gatti and Renato Veiga taking the field for the second match in a row. These two defenders remain the main option in the absence of Pierre Kalulu, while Lloyd Kelly has only joined the club on Monday.
Motta also confirmed the absence of Andrea Cambiaso, so Weston McKennie is expected to play at right-back, with Nicolo Savona moved to the left-back slot.
In the middle of the park, Khephren Thuram should regain his starting role after being dropped to the bench in the previous contest. Manuel Locatelli (55%) is the slight favourite to interpret the Regista role, but Douglas Luiz’s candidacy is gaining ground (45%).
Teun Koopmeiners will operate as an attacking midfielder with Kenan Yildiz and Nico Gonzalez tipped to start on the wings. Nevertheless, the pink newspaper leaves a 45% chance for Samuel Mbangule to displace the Argentine.
Finally, Randal Kolo Muani is certain of a starting spot at the expense of Dusan Vlahovic after scoring thrice in his first two outings for the club.
Juventus Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; McKennie, Gatti, Veiga, Savona; Locatelli (Douglas Luiz), Thuram; Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Gonzalez (Mbangula); Kolo Muani.
