Juventus will return from the international break with few decisive moments to celebrate, but with a clearer sense of where several players stand in their individual recoveries and selection battles. Across the first set of national-team fixtures, nine Bianconeri accumulated 344 minutes, only two completed a full match, and none produced a goal or an assist.
A quiet first international window for Juventus
The early matches of the extended break offered limited encouragement for Luciano Spalletti. Teun Koopmeiners, Francisco Conceição, Guglielmo Vicario and Pierre Kalulu remained unused substitutes, while further assessments are still due from Nico Gonzalez, Jhon Lucumí and Nick Woltemade.
Woltemade is due to join Germany for their remaining two Nations League matches, leaving Juventus with further fixtures to monitor over the next ten days.
- Nine Juventus players featured in the opening group of international matches.
- Their combined playing time was 344 minutes.
- Only two started and remained on the pitch until the final whistle.
- No Juventus player registered either a goal or an assist.
- Koopmeiners, Conceição, Vicario and Kalulu did not leave the bench.
Zhegrova finds minutes, if not complete control
Edon Zhegrova’s 72 minutes in Kosovo’s 1-0 victory over Ireland were among the more meaningful developments of the break. It was his longest outing for the national team since November 2024, and his most substantial match involvement at any level since early December that year, when he was still with Lille.
The winger had subsequently undergone surgery for pubalgia, an issue that kept him out for a long period and affected much of the previous season. For Juventus, the important point was that he was able to build match rhythm again.
Used as the right-sided attacking midfielder in a 3-4-2-1, Zhegrova displayed the familiar mixture of invention and risk. He completed five of nine dribble attempts and delivered two successful crosses from five, but lost possession 22 times from 51 touches.
Sarr’s composure and difficult evenings elsewhere
Sarr produced one of the more controlled performances, returning to Senegal’s starting side for the first time in almost a year. In the 1-1 draw with Mozambique, he played 63 minutes, completed every pass he attempted, lost the ball only four times from 37 touches and also managed a shot on target.
Zeki Celik’s display for Turkey carried both strong defensive work and one costly moment. Operating on the right of the back three in Vincenzo Montella’s 3-4-2-1, he contained Kylian Mbappé for long stretches and won six of his seven tackles and duels, whether on the ground or in the air. However, his decision to follow Ousmane Dembélé towards the middle opened the route for Mbappé’s decisive goal.
- Kerim Alajbegovic started Bosnia’s 0-0 draw in Poland and was substituted in the 91st minute.
- He completed only one of six dribble attempts and surrendered possession 13 times.
- His direct corner-kick goal was ruled out after a prior foul was identified in the penalty area.
- Douglas Luiz returned to the Brazil squad after more than 26 months away.
Douglas Luiz’s return brings another test ahead
Douglas Luiz entered Brazil’s friendly against Australia in the 62nd minute, replacing Bruno Guimarães, but did not make a strong case with his display. His passing lacked precision when attempting to switch play, while his physical impact was limited.
The midfielder also conceded the foul on the edge of the area from which Irankunda scored directly from a free-kick. It was an unconvincing return to international duty, though the remainder of the break offers each of Juventus’ players another chance to shape the impression they bring back to Turin.
