Promising Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz was deployed as the lone striker for Turkey during their friendly with Austria on Tuesday night, which could be a solution for Massimiliano Allegri in Serie A, as Juventus face a shortage up front heading into the return of domestic action.
Though the friendly with Austria, a 6-1 loss, was one to forget for Turkey, there was a new task for Yildiz, who started up front on his own in Vincenzo Montella’s 4-2-3-1.
Yildiz has largely been deployed as a second striker when he has featured for the Juventus first team, as well as a couple of appearances on the wing and in an attacking midfield role.
He has been tested as a no. 9 in the youth teams of Juventus and Bayern Munich, where he had played until 2023, but the 18-year-old had not previously been tested as the sole striker since establishing as a senior squad member for club and country.
Montella’s use of Yildiz as a striker could be an inspiration for Allegri, who has a few notable absentees heading into Saturday’s Serie A clash with Lazio.
Dusan Vlahovic will sit out against Lazio through suspension, while Arkadiusz Milik will be unavailable through injury.
Moise Kean has returned to the fold, but has only managed 22 minutes from two substitute appearances after missing around three months of action with an injury to his shin.
La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that Yildiz could be in line for a start against Lazio at the weekend. If he does start, then it will likely be in the two of Allegri’s go-to 3-5-2 system.
As Kean is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes, Yildiz could potentially start up front alongside Federico Chisea in a new-look Juventus strike partnership.