Vlahovic set for decisive day as Juventus begin preparations for Aston Villa | OneFootball

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic will have to shake off his injury sooner rather than later if he wishes to take part in the clash against Aston Villa.

The Bianconeri had to do without the Serbian bomber in their weekend showdown against Milan as he returned from international duty carrying a slight knock. And with his understudy Arek Milik also absent due to a long-term injury, Thiago Motta was forced to field Teun Koopmeiners and Weston McKennie upfront in the clash that unsurprisingly ended in a goalless draw.

Therefore, Juventus will be desperate to have Vlahovic back as soon as possible as an important contest in the Champions League awaits them in Birmingham this Wednesday. The Old Lady started the European campaign with victories over PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig, but collected a single point from the last two fixtures against Stuttgart and Lille.

Hence, the Italian giants will be keen to beat Aston Villa to get back to winning ways, especially since their next European showdown will be against Premier League champions Manchester City.

That being said, Juventus refuse to take any risks with Vlahovic, as they simply cannot afford to lose the 24-year-old in the long run. Thus, the striker must prove his fitness ahead of the English trip, otherwise, he’ll be left to properly heal at Continassa before resuming action in the weekend fixture against Lecce.

So according to La Gazzetta dello Sport via JuventusNews24, Monday could be a decisive day on this front, as the technical staff will closely examine the player’s condition.

If Vlahovic shows signs of improvement, he should be on the plane to Birmingham tomorrow. Otherwise, Motta would have to draw another unconventional plan. The Juventus manager could entrust McKennie with the role once again, even though the latter didn’t impress against Milan, or opt for his compatriot Timothy Weah this time.