Luciano Spalletti named a 21-player Juventus squad for Juventus Vs Parma at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday night, and the list was shaped as much by the absences as by the returns. Kenan Yildiz was left out, while Weston McKennie, Khephren Thuram and Edon Zhegrova also missed the match.
The squad was released for the 20:45 kickoff as Juventus prepared to face Parma in Serie A, and it quickly became clear why the selection drew attention. Yildiz is expected to be away from the pitch for some months after an upcoming operation linked to the injury he suffered against Frosinone, which made his absence the most serious of the evening.
There were some positive notes in the list. Guglielmo Vicario returned after leaving the field late against Frosinone, Federico Gatti was back in the group, and Jeff Ekahtor earned his first call-up after recovering from the injury he picked up in the first preseason friendly against Basilea. Kamil Grabara was included as well, giving Spalletti a fuller group in goal and at the back.
But the shape of the squad also exposed a problem Spalletti could not hide. Juventus did not call up any Next Gen players, and with McKennie out for muscle fatigue and Thuram unavailable, only three midfielders were on hand for the Parma match. That left Juventus with enough bodies to play, but not much room to adjust if the game demanded changes in the middle of the pitch.
For Juventus, the night carried more weight than a routine home fixture. It was the first home game after the win over Frosinone, and it came with Milan having already opened the second round of Serie A with a victory, so the pressure on the lineup was immediate. Spalletti had options in some areas and no real cover in others, and that imbalance is now part of the story of this match as much as Parma itself.
The unanswered part is not whether Juventus can field a team against Parma. It can. The question is how long Spalletti will have to manage without Yildiz, and whether Thuram’s knee issue will force another stop rather than a quick return. For now, the squad sheet tells the story plainly: Juventus went into the match with 21 players, but only three midfielders and one major absence that could linger for months.
