Tudor keen to start with key Juventus duo against Atalanta despite exhaustion | OneFootball

Juventus manager Igor Tudor has reportedly decided to keep two of his main protagonists in the starting lineup against Atalanta.

Much has been made about the club’s lack of depth which came to light in recent days. The Bianconeri were embroiled in back-to-back wars against Inter and Borussia Dortmund, where they had to go the extra mile to salvage results through last-gasp goals.

Nevertheless, these epic comebacks took their toll on the Juventus players, as evidenced by their bland display in the 1-1 draw against Hellas Verona on Saturday.

Juventus star duo expected to start against Atalanta

This weekend, Juventus will host Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the Serie A matchday.

But while some are expecting Tudor to introduce a few changes to the lineup to inject fresh blood into the team, La Gazzetta dello Sport (via JuventusNews24) insists that the manager is determined to start with Kenan Yildiz and Khephren Thuram.

(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

The influential duo have been selected in every fixture since the start of the season, as they’re considered part of the team’s backbone.

However, the French midfielder was seen flagging while chasing his Verona counterparts last weekend, which forced Tudor to replace him with Vasilije Adzic early in the second half.

Tudor expects Yildiz & Thuram to regain best shape ahead of Atalanta clash

On the other hand, Yildiz remained on the pitch for the duration of the match, but he was far from his best, as his spectacular plays weren’t on display at the Bentegodi.

Nevertheless, Tudor believes that with a full week of rest, the two players should be able to regain their energy levels and act as pillars once again against Ivan Juric’s side.

Gleison Bremer is also expected to return to the backline, while it remains to be seen who will lead the line between Dusan Vlahovic, Jonathan David and Loic Openda.