Juventus approach Atalanta with their confidence restored by a convincing Europa League win over NEC, but the visit of the Bergamo side will offer a far more meaningful measure of Luciano Spalletti’s squad. Less than 72 hours after Europe, the Bianconeri must again manage a mounting injury crisis while trying to show that the Sassuolo setback is behind them.
The most serious new blow concerns Kamil Grabara. The Polish goalkeeper, signed in the summer from Wolfsburg on a loan deal containing an option to buy following Mattia Perin’s departure, has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during training. He is due to undergo surgery shortly and is expected to be sidelined for between six and eight months, effectively ending his campaign.
Grabara had made an encouraging cup debut, yet Juventus must now plan without him until at least the January transfer window, when the club are likely to seek another goalkeeper to support Guglielmo Vicario. Carlo Pinsoglio is presently the only senior alternative, while 2007-born Riccardo Radu will be called into the squad for Atalanta.
An injury list that keeps growing
Grabara joins a long group of unavailable players: Ekhator, Kenan Yildiz, Khéphren Thuram, Juan Cabal, Manuel Locatelli and Jeremie Boga. Andrea Cambiaso also continued to train separately and is not expected back before the international break.
The goalkeeper’s operation will be Juventus’ fourth in just three weeks, after procedures for Yildiz, Thuram and Locatelli. The physical problems have sharply limited Spalletti’s options at a point when the calendar is demanding both energy and continuity.
Spalletti prepares controlled rotation
Spalletti is expected to make selected changes, as he did for the European fixture, rather than reshape the side wholesale. His likely starting framework remains the 3-4-2-1 that has increasingly given Juventus stability and balance, a system the coach had also used on several occasions early in his previous season in charge.
Bremer should return at the centre of a three-man defence, with Pierre Kalulu and Jhon Lucumi alongside him in front of Vicario. Bremer, Vicario and Francisco Conceiçao were among those who began Thursday’s match on the bench, and the Portuguese winger is set to return behind the striker alongside Nico Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has quickly become an important figure in Juventus’ early-season work, valued not only for his quality but also for his intensity and personality. Alajbegovic is therefore likely to begin among the substitutes.
Weston McKennie is another major option after returning from a three-week absence against NEC. Spalletti highlighted the American’s capacity to alter the team’s structure during a match, saying: “Wes is football in every sense. I only need to ask him to move from the flank into the middle and the shape becomes what it was before.”
With McKennie starting from the left, Juventus can shift him closer to the forward line and move from a back three into a 4-2-3-1, with Celik dropping across to the left side. Celik is expected to operate on the right at the outset, with McKennie on the opposite flank.
Choices in midfield and attack
Douglas Luiz appears certain to start in central midfield, but Spalletti must choose his partner between Sarr and Teun Koopmeiners.
Further forward, Juventus received a timely lift as each of their attackers scored in the NEC victory. Randal Kolo Muani is in line to lead the attack against Atalanta, while Nick Woltemade is ready to provide an alternative from the bench.
The cup result brought relief after Sassuolo, but Atalanta represent the next, tougher stage of Juventus’ season. Spalletti’s side will need both the tactical adaptability offered by McKennie and Gonzalez and a response from a group increasingly shaped by absences.
