Max Allegri explains what Leandro Paredes brings to the Juventus midfield, injury updates against Fiorentina and why Arthur Melo and Denis Zakaria remain ‘good players’ despite not fitting in with his team.
It kicks off on Saturday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT) at the Stadio Franchi.
The injury list remains extensive after the 2-0 win over Spezia, missing Wojciech Szczesny, Federico Chiesa, Paul Pogba and Kaio Jorge.
During his press conference, the coach revealed that Adrien Rabiot is also out of action with a bruised thigh, while Angel Di Maria is only fit for “45 or 60 minutes.”
All this points towards the possibility Paredes could be thrown straight into the starting XI after his transfer from PSG.
“Fiorentina-Juve is always difficult, we need to take it one game at a time, the important thing will be to get a result,” said Allegri.
“I have yet to decide the starting XI. Maybe you will know it before me… Leonardo Bonucci trained yesterday with the team and I will decide whether to play him tomorrow or against Paris Saint-Germain.
“Paredes arrived with a lot of enthusiasm, he is an important player who increases the quality level of our midfield with Manuel Locatelli, Nicolò Fagioli and Fabio Miretti. The club’s objective was to keep young players not just to make up the numbers, but because they are ready to play.
“We are waiting for the return of Pogba, while there are players with different characteristics like Rabiot and Weston McKennie. We have shuffled the pack to ensure we have a good mix of different types of players.”
The transfer window closed with the departure of two midfielders who weren’t in Allegri’s plans, Arthur Melo to Liverpool on a €4.5m loan with option to buy for €37.5m and Denis Zakaria to Chelsea in a similar deal.
“Zakaria had this possibility, he felt that he didn’t have much space and accepted the opportunity with great enthusiasm. I wish him and Arthur all the best, they are still fine players. We made our choices and they are happy, so we completed the squad as best we could.
“The fact remains, we are still without Pogba and Chiesa for a while, we know there are always unpredictable events that can change things, so it’s difficult to judge now which squad is strongest.”
Seeing Paulo Dybala top of the table with Roma, are there any regrets at Juventus?
“No, when you make a decision, you have to be sure.”
As if the trip to Fiorentina weren’t tense enough with their long and ugly history, it is also the return of Dusan Vlahovic to the club he forced his way out of. Could he therefore be rested ahead of the Champions League match?
“That’s a good idea, I’ll think about it…”