Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario and Randal Kolo Muani will start for Juventus in their Serie A opener against Frosinone on Sunday. The match kicks off at 17:30 UK time at the Stadio Stirpe as the Bianconeri begin their quest to return to the Champions League.
Spalletti is preparing the side for a campaign that will see them compete in the Europa League following last term’s sixth-place finish. The Italian tactician has wasted little time imprinting his authority on the squad, overseeing significant changes to the playing personnel in a bid to secure a top-four position.
Goalkeeper shake-up
The decision to start Vicario between the posts comes amid a major overhaul of the club’s goalkeeping department. Michele Di Gregorio is set to depart for Bournemouth on a loan deal that includes an option for the Premier League club to sign him permanently for €14 million. Meanwhile, Mattia Perin is poised to join Palermo in Serie B.
“Vicario and Kolo Muani will start,” Spalletti confirmed. The manager explained that Vicario was recruited because the club considers him “strong and experienced, good with his feet.” The former Tottenham goalkeeper has only trained with his new teammates for the past week but has evidently impressed sufficiently to earn an immediate starting berth.
New faces and fresh ambition
Juventus have been active in the transfer market, with new recruits including Kerim Alajbegovic, Jhon Lucumi, Jeff Ekhator and Zeki Celik. Kenan Yildiz remains a key figure from last season’s squad. Spalletti noted that while the group is currently “cohesive, united,” he wants the team to become “solid, robust, determined” as the season progresses.
The former Italy national team coach highlighted Alajbegovic’s qualities, stating the new arrival provides “that sudden shock of energy” and possesses the vision to execute attacking moves.
Top-four battle
Spalletti anticipates a fiercely contested race for Champions League qualification. He believes “seven or eight teams” are capable of challenging for the top four positions this term. Juventus missed out on elite European football last season after a late collapse, and Spalletti acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead.
“We’ve got to prove ourselves and become a balanced team,” he said. “We have improved, but only the results will show us how much we’ve improved.”
The Juventus boss pointed to the strength of their rivals, noting that Milan have made shrewd investments while Inter and Napoli possessed formidable squads already. He also highlighted Roma’s recruitment of important players, suggesting the battle for Champions League qualification will be intensely competitive.
Sunday’s opponents Frosinone secured promotion to Serie A under Massimiliano Alvini, whom Spalletti praised for his achievement. The Juventus manager described Alvini as a friend and congratulated Frosinone on their return to the top flight.