Why Openda could be dropped from Juventus lineup against Pisa | OneFootball

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti could decide to omit Lois Openda from the starting lineup against Pisa, despite his recent exploits.

When the Tuscan manager first arrived in Turin, he immediately identified Dusan Vlahovic as his first choice for the centre-forward role. But with the Serbian out with an injury until the spring, Openda and Jonathan David have been vying for a starting berth.

The two Juventus summer signings have started their experiences in Turin on a poor note, but they have been showing signs of improvement in their recent outings, especially the Belgian.

Lois Openda is finally beginning to thrive at Juventus

When Vlahovic was first ruled out of action, Spalletti initially handed the reins to David. However, Openda enjoyed an impactful cameo at the Renato Dall’Ara nine days ago, forcing Torbjorn Heggem to commit a foul that earned him a red card.

(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Therefore, the manager decided to entrust the former RB Leipzig man with a starting role against Roma last weekend, and the latter delivered the goods once more. Aside from poaching Juve’s second goal, his pace and movement caused a sea of troubles for the Giallorossi defenders.

And yet, Tuttosport expects Spalletti to drop Openda in favour of David in the last Juventus game of the year.

Why Spalletti will favor David over Openda against Openda

As the source explains, the 66-year-old had already highlighted the difference between his two available strikers.

While Openda can be deadly against attacking-minded clubs that leave spaces at the back, David could prove more useful against compact defences, which is what Juventus can expect when they are hosted by Alberto Gilardino’s side this Saturday.

So while the Canadian should get the nod from the start, the Belgian could enter the pitch in the final 30 minutes when the opposition’s defensive lines could become more stretched out.

For his part, Arkadiusz Milik is still working on regaining his condition after 18 months on the shelf. Hence, he’s not expected to earn more than a few minutes on the pitch in the coming weeks.