Predicted Juventus lineup vs SPAL: Sarri gets creative to overcome injuries
By John Vaccaro
The absences continue to pile up for Juventus.
Juventus got their second win of the week when they beat Brescia on Tuesday, but it came at a cost. Danilo was forced to leave the match early in the first half because of an injury, leaving Alex Sandro as the team’s only healthy fullback. However, the win did keep Juve comfortably in second in Serie A as they extended their lead over 3rd to 3 points.
SPAL may be healthy, but that’s just about the only positive thing about their season so far. They’ve managed only 3 points this season, shockingly beating Lazio in the second match of the year. Since that match they have lost back to back matches, allowing 3 goals each to Sassuolo and Lecce. SPAL surprisingly won the last match between these two teams and will look to make it 2 in a row on Saturday.
Juventus will be very shorthanded for this match. This week, Mattia De Sciglio and Danilo were added to the list of long-term absences alongside Douglas Costa and Giorgio Chiellini. Alex Sandro will also be unavailable for this match as he mourns the tragic loss of his father. Juve will also probably be cautious with Aaron Ramsey because of his injury history and Cristiano Ronaldo because of his recent fatigue issues as they prepare for a Champions League match on Tuesday. All of this means that we will likely see Juve in a 3-5-2 formation for the first time this year.
GK: Wojceich Szczesny
Wojciech Szczesny had his first blunder of the season against Brescia on Tuesday, but he spent the rest of the match reminding us why Juventus has so much faith in him. He made a few big saves to protect Juve’s lead down the stretch and will continue to be Juve’s first-choice keeper In a squad where Juve has had repeated injury issues, Szczesny has been one of the players Juve has been able to rely on all year for some stability.