Juventus probable lineup vs Fiorentina: Will Renato Veiga start? | OneFootball

Ahead of what could be a decisive fixture for Thiago Motta’s future, you would excuse the Juventus manager for being reluctant when it comes to choosing his starting lineup against Fiorentina.

The Bianconeri have no other choice but to secure a positive result at the Artemio Franchi. While it might not be sufficient to erase last weekend’s horrendous beatdown at the hands of Atalanta, it would at least preserve their fourth place in the Serie A table.

So how will Juventus line up against Fiorentina on Sunday evening with so much at stake for Motta?

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Michele Di Gregorio will start between the sticks as is often the case, while the backline could witness a couple of returns.

The versatile Pierre Kalulu could take the left-back spot having made his return to action recently, while Renato Veiga could be immediately thrust back to the lineup following his recovery. The Portuguese would thus start alongside Lloyd Kelly, with Timothy Weah completing the backline. Nevertheless, the source leaves a 45% chance for Federico Gatti to replace the Chelsea loanee.

(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

In the middle of the park, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram should combine as usual, but this time they will be joined by Teun Koopmeiners who returns to the lineup after starting on the bench on the previous two outings. The source is thus expecting a 4-3-3 shape, although this will likely be a hybrid formation.

In attack, Weston McKennie (55%) is the slight favourite to start on the right wing ahead of Kenan Yildiz (45%) who had a miserable outing against Atalanta, albeit he was suffering from flu. Nicolas Gonzalez can expect a raucous welcome on his return to Florence as he starts on the left, while Randal Kolo Muani leads the line as usual.

Juventus Probable XI (4-3-3): Di Gregorio; Weah, Kelly, Veiga (Gatti), Kalulu; Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Thuram; McKennie (Yildiz), Kolo Muani, Gonzalez