Gatti Not Yet Fully Fit. Locatelli Back with the Group but Unlikely to Start
Juventus completed their final morning training session at the well-equipped Greenbrier Resort sports centre before taking an internal flight towards Washington D.C. The squad, almost at full strength (Bremer and Milik, not yet ready to play, remained in White Sulphur Springs to train), departed from the small West Virginia airport after lunch. They moved from the lush greenery of the resort to the towering buildings of the United States capital, where tonight (3 AM Italian time) they will debut in the Club World Cup against Al Ain at Audi Field, a modern gem with 20,000 seats.
Here, Randal Kolo Muani and Kenan Yildiz will look to score their first goals in this brand new competition. Igor Tudor will entrust them with leading the attack for the Bianconeri, starting with a three-man defense and a midfield that will almost certainly be without Manuel Locatelli. The captain has rejoined the group, but is unlikely to start from the first minute.
Mistakes and Debuts
Kolo Muani knows what it means to play in a World Cup, having already done so with France and reaching the final against Argentina, where he had the chance to make history but missed it, failing to score the potential 4-3 winner in extra time. It`s a mistake not easily forgotten; for a forward, the only cure is scoring goals, and the more important they are, the more they help put the past behind you.
The French forward has scored 10 goals this season, 8 of which have been for Juventus since late January. This is one more than Yildiz, who has scored in every seasonal competition with the club (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa, and Champions League) and is now aiming for a fifth, to make his star shine on the other side of the world, where he is already highly appreciated despite his young age. Yildiz is the player for big debuts, the one who always scores on his first appearances. Unlike Randal, he has not yet played in a World Cup, but he participated in the last European Championship with his Turkey national team.
On the other side will be Kodjo Laba, top scorer in the UAE Pro League with 20 goals (plus 4 assists) and also Al Ain`s all-time leading scorer with 140 goals in 180 games, surpassing Asamoah Gyan`s previous record (112). He will be a good test for the Juventus defense, which could feature an unusual lineup. With Gatti not yet at his best, Tudor is considering Daniele Rugani, who has returned from his loan at Ajax, to complete the trio composed of Kalulu and Kelly. The alternative is Savona, who has already played as a central defender in the league.
