With the November international break now in the rearview mirror, Juventus will resume their Serie A campaign with an away contest against Fiorentina.
The Bianconeri will undoubtedly receive a hostile reception that the purple crowds preserve for their most hated rivals, as Paolo Vanoli makes his first home appearance as Fiorentina manager.
The 53-year-old has been entrusted with a daunting task, as the Viola shockingly reside at the very bottom of the Serie A table after failing to win a match in the first 11 rounds of the season.
Therefore, Juventus will be looking to add to their foes’ misery, while the Tuscans will be counting on the managerial change to spark a timely morale boost.
The biggest dilemma that Luciano Spalletti has to settle before the contest concerns the identity of his starting striker.
The 66-year-old has been exclusively relying on Dusan Vlahovic in his lineup. While the manager is still hoping to field the Serbian from the get-go, the latter will have to pass a late athletic test.
But in the meantime, La Gazzetta dello Sport considers Lois Openda the favourite to spearhead the charge. After all, Jonathan David was the latest player to return from international duty, and had a long flight from North America.
Loic Openda (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
While there have been growing talks about a change to a 4-3-3 system, Spalletti is expected to maintain the 3-4-2-1 for the time being.
Therefore, Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao should support the Belgian attacker upfront, while Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso should occupy the full-back roles.
In the middle of the park, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are the natural choices. Finally, the backline should be constituted of Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti and Teun Koopmeiners, even though the returning Lloyd Kelly is back in contention.
Juventus Probable XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Openda
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