Thiago Motta says Nicolò Fagioli has ‘extraordinary’ potential, but Douglas Luiz suffered a suspected muscle injury during the warm-up and will be replaced by Khephren Thuram.
Juventus host Bundesliga side Stuttgart at the Allianz Stadium in Turin this evening. Football Italia is among the accredited media.
It kicks off at 21:00 CET (19:00 GMT) and you can follow the live action on the Football Italia Liveblog.
Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Gatti start on the bench for the Bianconeri, while Fagioli gets the nod in the middle of the park.
Thiago Motta hails ‘extraordinary’ Fagioli potential, but Douglas Luiz injured in warmup
“I base my decisions on everything, including the opponents and the lads’ moment,” Motta told Sky Sport prior to the game (via TMW).
“I am sure those starting and those introduced from the bench will contribute.
“Fagioli? Potentially, he is an extraordinary player in a crucial position. He must make the team play well. He has the tempo. We can’t always play with the same intensity; he has the intelligence to understand it. He and Douglas Luiz are our thermometers. They must know when we have to accelerate and when we must keep the ball.”
Douglas Luiz was supposed to start alongside Fagioli in the middle of the park, but, as reported by Sky Sport Italia, he suffered a suspected muscle injury during the warm-up.
The Brazilian midfielder returned to the dressing room and won’t start for the Bianconeri.
Khephren Thuram entered the pitch to complete the warm-up before kick-off and will replace the Brazilian midfielder.
“He felt a little discomfort and the doctors decided to rest him precautionarily. It’s a pity, but we go forward,” said Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli.