Juventus are in Perth, Australia and the clock is running down on their pre-season friendly against Inter on Saturday, 8 August. On Friday, Luciano Spalletti and Andrea Cambiaso faced the press with one selection issue still unresolved: whether Kenan Yildiz would start.
That is why Juventus Vs Inter is drawing attention now. It is not only a warm-up match. It comes after travel, time changes and a week on the move, and Spalletti made clear that those factors will shape his starting XI as much as training does.
Cambiaso gave the fixture the feel of a real test. He said playing Inter is always a good game, that matches like this are the best to play in, and that Juventus cannot hold anything back even in pre-season. For him, the opponent matters less than the standard. “It’s still Juventus vs Inter even in pre-season,” he said, adding that the team will give everything and see how it goes.
The defender also made plain that he is ready for whatever role is asked of him. Cambiaso said he likes playing in any position and has no problems taking on a more attacking or more defensive task. He said the squad is working well despite the travel and the commitments, and stressed that spending time together matters because it helps the pitch-side ideas take hold faster.
His comments pointed to a larger reset under Spalletti. Cambiaso said the coach has repeatedly told the group that what they did last year was not enough, and he described the season as one to forget in terms of results. The point, for him, is not to dwell on that failure but to use it. Games like this, he said, show the team’s mentality and whether it is moving in the right direction.
Spalletti was more guarded on the lineup. He said he has to weigh training, travel, time zones and everything else before naming a starting XI, while also thanking the club for the work done to organise the trip. On Yildiz, he said the plan is for the forward to play one half, but that he wants to wait until just before kick-off before saying whether he starts. That leaves Juventus with one of the match’s most watched details still open.
The broader picture is simple enough. Juventus are preparing for a season defined by Thursdays and Sundays, which means the same XI is unlikely to appear every time, especially with the Europa League adding to the load. For Saturday’s match in Perth, that reality is already shaping the team’s choices, and Yildiz’s name is the one still hanging in the air.
