Juventus probable lineup vs Lazio: Koopmeiners ready to step up | OneFootball

Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti could once again field Teun Koopmeiners in the backline as his team prepares to host Lazio.

The contest will take place at the Allianz Stadium. It kicks off on Sunday at 20:45 CET.

Unfortunately for the Bianconeri, they arrive with a couple of injury concerns, as confirmed by Spalletti in his pre-match press conference on Saturday.

The 66-year-old revealed that Lloyd Kelly and Francisco Conceicao trained separately on Saturday due to slight physical issues. Therefore, both players will have to pass late athletic tests to prove their fitness.

While the manager will be hoping to have them at his disposal this evening, most sources believe neither will be in the starting lineup.

Teun Koopmeiners set to replace Lloyd Kelly

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Koopmeiners is the favourite to replace Kelly at the back, as he did earlier in the season.

The Dutchman would join Pierre Kalulu, Gleison Bremer, and Andrea Cambiaso at the back. This would be the case if Spalletti maintains his 4-2-3-1 formation, but he could revert to a 3-4-2-1 system to accommodate Koopmeiners.

The pink newspaper also gives Federico Gatti a 40% chance to replace Bremer at the heart of the backline, as the latter looked short on fitness in his poor display against Atalanta on Thursday.

Gleison Bremer (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

In the middle of the park, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram will link up as usual, with Fabio Miretti the favourite to start ahead of them as an attacking midfielder.

The incredibly versatile Weston McKennie is tipped to replace Conceicao as a right winger, while Kenan Yildiz will be aiming to celebrate his new contract with an influential display. Spalletti confirmed that the Turkish star has overcome the muscle issue that bothered him against Parma.

Finally, Jonathan David will continue to lead the line, keeping Lois Openda on the bench.

Juventus & Lazio Probable Lineups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer (Gatti), Koopmeiners, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; McKennie, Miretti, Yildiz; David.

Lazio  (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Nuno Tavares; Taylor, Cataldi, Basic; Isaksen, Maldini, Pedro.