Who are the nine Juventus U21 players who could play against Lecce | OneFootball

Thiago Motta has named a squad that includes nine players aged 21 or under, including five who are yet to make their Bianconeri debuts, for Juventus’s upcoming Serie A match away against Lecce on Sunday evening.

Nine Juventus youngsters included in squad for Lecce

Some of those U21 players are already well established in the first team, including no.10 Kenan Yildiz (19), summer signing Francisco Conceicao, (21) debut goalscorer Samuel Mbangula (20) and back-up full-back Jonas Jakob Rouhi (20).

There are a selection of Bianconeri youngsters in the squad who have not yet made their senior debuts.

Included among them is 17-year-old defender Alfonso Montero, son of former Juventus and Uruguay centre-back and recent Next Gen head coach Paolo Montero. He has played 10 times at centre-back for Juve’s Primavera side this season, plus another four and a goal in the UEFA Youth League this term.

Also included among the defenders in the squad for Lecce is 18-year-old left-back Filippo Pagnucco, who is also capable of operating on the left wing. He is the current captain of the Juventus U19 side and has provided two goals and an assist from seven Primavera outings this season, plus another five appearances in the Youth League.

20-year-old Christos Papadopoulos, who typically plays as an attacking midfielder is also in the Juventus squad to face Lecce. He has played 12 times and scored once for the Next Gen side in Serie C this season.

Joining him among the midfielders is Augusto Owusu, who tends to play a bit deeper compared to Papadopoulos.

18-year-old Diego Pugno is the only recognised centre-forward in Thiago Motta’s Juventus squad for the Lecce game. The teenager has six goals in 11 league appearances for the Primavera side in 2024-25.