Juventus manager Thiago Motta is expected to ring the changes ahead of the Champions League contest against PSV Eindhoven.
On Tuesday night, the Bianconeri will host the Dutch champions in the first leg of the play-off round. They will be eager to register a positive result in front of their home supporters ahead of next week’s tricky trip to the Netherlands.
But after Friday’s disappointing showing in Como, several key players could be dropped from the lineup. Although Juve returned home with three points in the bag, the poor display left a sour taste in the supporters’ mouths.
So according to several sources, including Calciomercato, Koopmeiners could pay the price for his uninspiring showings. The Dutch will thus start on the bench against his countrymen. Instead, Motta’s ultimate utility man Weston McKennie could be deployed as an attacking midfielder.
However, this might not be the solitary change in the middle of the park, as Manuel Locatelli could also be rested for the European contest. In this case, Douglas Luiz would step up to play as a deep-lying playmaker, with Khephren Thuram joining him in the double pivot.
The source also expects a change on the wings, with Francisco Conceicao coming in for Nico Gonzalez. On the other hand, Kenan Yildiz should maintain his role on the left flank while Randal Kolo Muani will be making his first appearance for the club in the Champions League following his rapid-fire start in Serie A.
Finally, the report expects the backline to remain intact with Federico Gatti and Renato Veiga filling in the centre-back roles in front of Michele Di Gregorio, while Timothy Weah and Nicolo Savona continue be fielded in their unconventional roles at right-back and left-back respectively.
JUVENTUS (4-2-3-1) : Di Gregorio; Weah, Gatti, Veiga, Savona; Thuram, Douglas Luiz; Conceiçao, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani
