Thiago Motta confirms four Juventus absences, Vlahovic and Cambiaso chances | OneFootball

Juventus coach Thiago Motta has confirmed that he will be without four of his senior players for Tuesday night’s Serie A fixture against Atalanta, but admits that there is a chance of a return for Dusan Vlahovic, while also providing his opinions on Andrea Cambiaso, Douglas Luiz, Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula.

Juventus are one of six teams involved in league matches this week, as they make up for the 19th round matches  that were postponed at the time of the Supercoppa Italiana at the beginning of the month.

The Bianconeri are looking to bounce back after being held to their 12th draw of the season during the Derby della Mole against city rivals Torino, which ended 1-1 on Saturday evening.

Motta will have to cope without Francisco Conceicao, along with his long-term absentees, but there is a chance that Vlahovic returns to the fold.

“We don’t have Bremer, Cabal, Conceicao, Milik, we’ll see with Dusan later,” Motta told the press, reported via TMW.

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 17: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus FC and Cagliari Calcio at Allianz Stadium on December 17, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Motta’s opinions on Juventus stars Yildiz, Douglas Luiz, Cambiaso and Mbangula

Motta is particularly pleased with what he has seen from Kenan Yildiz, who has scored twice in his last two matches, starring out of position on the right wing.

“He’s doing very well playing on the right, as he did on the left,” Motta said.

epa11818920 Juventus’ Kenan Yldiz jubilates after scoring the 0-1 during the Italian Serie A soccer match Torino FC vs Juventus FC at the Olimpico Grande Torino Stadium in Turin, Italy, 11 January 2025. EPA-EFE/Alessandro Di Marco

“He also did very well through the middle against Cagliari in the Cup. He is a guy who is growing up very quickly. I’m happy, but he needs to improve defensively, he needs to be more decisive in some tackles.

And, on Douglas Luiz’s performance against Torino, the coach said: “We chose to leave him lower down the pitch to free up Thuram more. But he has already done it and can change it up by pushing forwards, like Locatelli does.

“He made his first start after a long time, we had to manage him to be able to maintain a level over the 90 minutes.”

One of the surprises of the season for Thiago Motta has been the growth of Next Gen graduate Samuel Mbangula, who marked his full debut with a goal against Como on the opening weekend of the season.

“I’m very happy. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a big rise. We had to ask him to grow up faster because of the difficulties we’ve had. He’s done it, he’s taken responsibility.

“It was his first derby and last year he was playing in a different age category. I am satisfied with him in all aspects of the game.”

There is also a chance that Cambiaso returns to the starting line-up on Tuesday, Motta confirmed. Central midfielder Weston McKennie has been deployed at left-back in his absence.

Juventus’ Italian defender #27 Andrea Cambiaso (L) celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with Juventus’ Belgian forward #51 Samuel Mbangula during the Italian Serie A football match between Juventus and Como at The Allianz Stadium in Turin on August 19, 2024. (Photo by Isabella BONOTTO / AFP) (Photo by ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images)

“He’s getting better. I thought he did well coming on against Torino, he was focused and attentive. He’s a very important player for us, he can play on the right or the left, he’s already had a few games at a certain level, playing well with personality We are happy to have the same Andrea as the start of the season.

“He can start tomorrow, and if he starts, I am convinced he will put in a great performance along with his teammates.”

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