Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that Perin will start for Juventus against Palermo in Perth, with Di Gregorio set to sit out after playing 90 minutes against Inter. The decision comes as Juventus try to steady themselves on the eve of the friendly, scheduled for 11am BST, and Spalletti also said Gatti will not begin because of fatigue.
The selection matters because Spalletti is using the match to keep the rotation clear while asking for a cleaner response than the one Juventus showed against Inter. He said the defeat had been analysed thoroughly over 24 hours together and that he did not want to see the same attitude again, even if he expects the group to keep improving as understanding grows.
Spalletti also gave a read on the opponent that makes the meeting less than routine. He described Palermo as a difficult test because they have many players with Serie A experience, and he said Filippo Inzaghi will become a top manager because he already knows how to get the best out of his players. That is part of why Juventus are treating the friendly as more than a simple run-out in Australia.
There is, however, one part of the evening that is still only partly defined. Gatti will not start, but Spalletti did not lock down exactly how long he will play, saying it may be 20 minutes or half an hour depending on how the match develops. That leaves Perin’s role as the clearest certainty: Juventus had planned this switch, and Spalletti said the goalkeeper will follow it against Palermo as expected.
Spalletti also said Juventus have not changed their minds in the transfer market. The ideas are the same as they were at the start, he said, and the club is continuing along that path. For now, though, the immediate focus is the friendly in Perth, where Juventus will look to turn a carefully managed selection into a sharper answer after the setback against Inter.
