Luciano Spalletti confirms Weston McKennie to start for Juventus against NEC
Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso return for Juventus' Europa League opener as Luciano Spalletti addresses the mounting pressure in Turin.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / Author: Hossein Zohrevand
Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that Weston McKennie will start in Thursday's Europa League opener against NEC Nijmegen. The American midfielder has successfully completed full training sessions after a period on the sidelines and is ready to bolster the Bianconeri's midfield.
The return of McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso provides a significant boost for a squad currently hampered by a lengthy injury list. Juventus will be without nine senior players, including Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli, and Arkadiusz Milik. This unavailability places heavy reliance on players like Teun Koopmeiners to drive the team forward.
"He’s important for us. We always expect him to play at the level we know he’s capable of. He has a duty to show us the right decisions," said Luciano Spalletti.
Addressing media speculation regarding his job security, Spalletti remained defiant, stating that his experience with real-life challenges in his youth makes current professional scrutiny manageable. Looking ahead to the European clash, the coach praised the tactical approach of NEC manager Peter Schreuder and urged his players to remain focused to avoid an upset.