Juventus probable lineup vs Fiorentina: Surprise at the back | OneFootball

This evening, Juventus will play hosts to Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium in a contest between two rivals who also happen to be indulged in a tight battle for the Champions League spots.

So how will Thiago Motta line up his men for the big Sunday showdown?

According to several major Italian news sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, the manager has decided to field Weston McKennie as a left-back once more.

This is a surprising selection given that Andrea Cambiaso is back in the fold. The latter should remain on the bench, as Nicolo Savona starts on the opposite flank, with Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu operating at the heart of the backline in front of Michele Di Gregorio.

In the middle of the park, the manager has received an important boost as Teun Koopmeiners has managed to shake off the slight knock sustained during last week’s contest at Monza, so he’ll be ready to play from the get-go.

But this time, the Dutchman will return to operate as an attacking midfielder following his experiment in a deeper role. This is mainly because Nico Gonzalez isn’t in optimal physical condition, so Motta has decided to keep the Argentine on the bench with the possibility of fielding him in the second half.

Therefore, Khephren Thuram returns to the starting lineup, linking up with Manuel Locatelli in the double pivot. On the wings, Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz are the natural solutions, especially with Timothy Weah still struggling with an injury.

Finally, Dusan Vlahovic remains the solitary option upfront, as Arkadiusz Milik won’t return before January.

Juventus Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic.

Fiorentina Probable XI (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Beltran; Kean.