Juventus Faces Sassuolo: Koopmeiners Returns Amid Injury Crisis
Teun Koopmeiners is set to be thrown straight back into the Juventus engine room as Luciano Spalletti wrestles with an early-season injury pile-up ahead of Sunday night’s Serie A trip to Sassuolo.
Juventus head to the Mapei Stadium chasing a fourth game unbeaten and a third win of the 2026-27 campaign, with kick-off at 19.45 BST. The start has been solid rather than spectacular: victories over Frosinone and Parma, then a 1-1 draw with Milan at the Allianz Stadium that left a hint of frustration in Turin.
Now comes a different kind of test. A tricky away day, a growing absentee list, and a Sassuolo side that has already shown it can swing either way.
Spalletti turns to his “unwanted” midfield
The injury bulletin has forced Spalletti into a reshuffle that would have been hard to predict in pre-season.
Captain Manuel Locatelli is out for the next few months. Khephren Thuram faces a similar spell on the sidelines. Weston McKennie is still not ready. Those absences rip out the heart of what was supposed to be Juventus’ first-choice midfield.
So the spotlight falls on players who, not long ago, seemed destined to be on the fringes.
Koopmeiners, once viewed as expendable, now becomes essential. He is expected to start alongside Douglas Luiz at the base of a 4-2-3-1, a pairing that suddenly looks less like a back-up plan and more like a statement of trust. The Dutchman’s return brings goals and timing from deep; Douglas Luiz offers control and bite on the ball.
Behind them, new signing Guglielmo Vicario keeps his place in goal, shielded by a back four of Pierre Kalulu, Bremer, Jhon Lucumi and Zeki Celik.
Further forward, the creative burden will be shared by a fluid line of three: Francisco Conceicao on one flank, Nico Gonzalez through the middle and Kerim Alajbegovic on the other, operating behind Randal Kolo Muani as the lone striker.
New faces, missing stars
The absentees do not stop in midfield.
Kenan Yildiz is also unavailable, which opened the door for Alajbegovic to start against Milan. The summer signing is expected to keep that role at the Mapei after an encouraging display, asked again to deputise in a demanding attacking brief.
Nico Gonzalez is tipped to get the nod as the central attacking midfielder ahead of Nick Woltemade, according to pre-match reports from Sky Sport Italia. It is a call that underlines Spalletti’s desire for directness and aggression between the lines rather than a more traditional target presence.
On the bench, there should be a first glimpse of Pape Matar Sarr in a Juventus matchday squad since his loan move from Tottenham. The Senegalese midfielder offers energy and range, and his inclusion gives Spalletti at least one extra option if the game turns into a battle of legs in the second half.
Andrea Cambiaso, Jeremie Boga, Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal are not expected to feature, leaving Juventus light in terms of rotation in wide and full-back areas.
Sassuolo aiming to disrupt
Sassuolo sit 10th after three games, their record perfectly balanced: one win, one draw, one defeat. That inconsistency makes them awkward. They can be vulnerable, but they can also be dangerous in bursts.
They are expected to line up in a 4-3-3: Muric in goal; Cinquegrano, Leysen, Radu Dragusin Idzes and Josh Doig across the back; Adzic, Nemanja Matic and Bakola in midfield; Domenico Berardi, Esposito and Armand Lauriente forming a lively front three.
Berardi and Lauriente, in particular, will test Juventus’ full-backs, while Matic’s experience in the middle offers Sassuolo a calm head against a patched-up but talented Bianconeri midfield.
Probable line-ups
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric; Cinquegrano, Leysen, Idzes, Doig; Adzic, Matic, Bakola; Berardi, Esposito, Lauriente.
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumi, Celik; Douglas Luiz, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, N. Gonzalez, Alajbegovic; Kolo Muani.
Where to watch
In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max and DAZN. Viewers in the USA can watch via Paramount+.
An unbeaten start, a bruised squad, and a midfield rebuilt on the fly: Sunday night will show whether Juventus can turn adversity into an early-season statement or whether the first cracks of the campaign appear under the Mapei lights.
