Juventus probable lineup vs Sporting: Yildiz is back, Thuram to be rested? | OneFootball

New Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti will make a few tweaks to his starting lineup ahead of Thursday’s Champions League contest against Sporting CP.

The Bianconeri have yet to taste victory in Europe this season. They settled for draws against Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal in the first two matchdays, before suffering defeat when hosted by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Therefore, anything less than three points at the expense of the Portuguese giants would be considered a failure.

Kenan Yildiz returns to Juventus starting lineup against Sporting

Luckily for Spalletti, he began his reign with a win in Cremona on Saturday. The 66-year-old is now set to make his bow at the Allianz Stadium, and he’ll be keen to win over the crowd immediately.

The manager also received good news from the training ground, with Kenan Yildiz rejoining his teammates in training after being rested on the weekend.

(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via JuventusNews24, Spalletti has no doubts about fielding the young Turk as a starter.

Yildiz could well join Loic Openda in the supporting roles for Dusan Vlahovic, who will spearhead the attack once more.

Khephren Thuram to get a breather on Tuesday

The pink newspaper also expects a change in the middle of the park, as Khephren Thuram, who has been struggling with physical discomfort in recent weeks, could be dropped from the lineup.

In this case, Weston McKennie will operate as a central midfielder alongside Manuel Locatelli. The American had played in a more advanced role against Cremonese.

On the other hand, the rest of the lineup should remain unchanged, with Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic maintaining their spots on the wings, and Teun Koopmeiners extending his experiment at the back, joining Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu in the three-man defence.

Juventus Probable lineup (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Koopmeiners; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Kostic; Openda, Yildiz; Vlahovic.