Delight for Tudor as Juventus duo set to reunite after positive international break | OneFootball

Juventus head Igor Tudor will be keen to rely on the midfield partnership of Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram for the first time in a while.

Following his appointment as Thiago Motta’s replacement in March, the Croatian immediately implemented a 3-4-2-1 system, while identifying the Frenchman and the Italian as the ideal combination to operate at the heart of the lineup.

However, the two midfielders haven’t started side-by-side since the 1-1 draw against Hellas Verona on September 20.

Locatelli & Thuram to start together in Como vs Juventus

Tudor opted to drop Locatelli in favour of Teun Koopmeiners for the contest against Atalanta, which saw Thuram picking up an injury that ruled him out of the trip for the Champions League contest against Villarreal.

The 24-year-old made his way back to the squad for the clash against Milan, but only entered in the second half.

Nevertheless, IlBianconero expects Locatelli and Thuram to rekindle their partnership when Juventus resume their campaign with an away trip to Como.

(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

As the source notes, both players are coming from positive experiences with their respective national teams.

Thuram finally earned his first start for France, helping Les Blues beat Azerbaijan by three unanswered goals. Didier Deschamps then rotated his lineup against Iceland, so the Juventus man only made a brief cameo.

Manuel Locatelli delivers the goods for Italy

Similarly, Locatelli was handed one start in the international break. The Bianconeri captain was an unused substitute in Italy’s win over Estonia, but Gennaro Gattuso played him alongside Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali in the contest against Israel.

The deep-lying playmaker was one of the best performers on the pitch for the Azzurri who claimed a 3-0 win in Udine to secure a spot in the playoffs of the World Cup qualifiers, at the very least.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether this reunion will pay dividends by helping Tudor’s side return to winning ways after five straight draws.