Official Juventus lineup vs Milan: Rugani earns first start | OneFootball

The official Juventus X account has revealed Igor Tudor’s starting lineup for the big showdown against Milan.

The two rivals will collide at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The contest kicks off at 20:45 CET.

While the Rossoneri will arrive with fresh legs after a long week of rest, the home side had a mid-week trip to Spain that saw them register a draw against Villarreal in the Champions League group stage.

Therefore, Tudor was expected to make a few changes to the lineup, especially amidst the continued absence of Gleison Bremer. Moreover, Juan Cabal suffered a new injury on Wednesday, forcing the manager to introduce some tweaks at the back.

Daniele Rugani in Juventus lineup against Milan

Michele Di Gregorio retained his spot between the posts, dropping Mattia Perin to the bench, while Daniele Rugani finally earned his first start of the season.

The former Ajax defender will operate at the heart of the backline, in between Federico Gatti and Lloyd Kelly. For his part, Pierre Kalulu will be deployed as a right wingback, with Andrea Cambiaso keeping his spot on the opposite flank.

In the middle of the park, Weston McKennie kept his place in the lineup, despite Khephren Thuram’s return to the squad. The USMNT star will start alongside his captain, Manuel Locatelli, in the double pivot.

Francisco Conceicao unlocks starting spot

In the final third, Francisco Conceicao earned his way to the starting XI following a wonderful cameo in Spain, thus relegating Teun Koopmeiners to the bench.

The Portuguese will join Kenan Yildiz in the attacking-midfielder roles, with Jonathan David leading the line, overcoming competition from Dusan Vlahovic and Loic Openda.

Juventus XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Gatti, Rugani, Kelly; Kalulu, Locatelli, McKennie, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David