Predicted Juventus lineup vs SPAL: Sarri gets creative to overcome injuries

ST: Gonzalo Higuain

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly ready for this match, but I think Juve will let him rest ahead of the big match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. In his place, Gonzalo Higuain will get to start alongside Paulo Dybala for the second match in a row. To the surprise of many fans, Higuain was

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resurgent to start the year, but he had a bit of letdown against Brescia during the week. He wasted quite a few chances in the match and didn’t really influence the match at all outside of his squandered scoring opportunities. With how well Paulo Dybala played in the match this week, Higuain will need to step up his performances in the next few matches if he wants to hold on to the starting striker job.

ST: Paulo Dybala

Paulo Dybala has looked absolutely fantastic in Juve’s match against Brescia and will now get another chance to impress against SPAL. Much like the match against Brescia, Saturday’s match against SPAL sets Dybala up perfectly to once again look like the player who dominated Serie A two seasons ago.

He gets to play alongside another striker and Ronaldo won’t be playing in the match. This will open up plenty of opportunity for Dybala to roam behind Higuain and get on the ball between the midfield and defense. Dybala needs freedom to play at his best and he will have it once again. Even if Juve does end up risking Ronaldo in the match, Dybala will still get the start and have a bit more freedom than usual. Matches like this will bolster Dybala’s value if Juve actually ends up selling him and until then, he will be a key part of navigating their injury issues.