Luciano Spalletti said Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso are unlikely to be available for Juventus when they face Sassuolo away in Serie A on Sunday, 13 September. The Juventus coach delivered the update at his traditional MD-1 press conference before Matchday 4, and he added that Cambiaso will still go through a fitness test on Sunday morning.
That leaves Juventus heading into Sassuolo Vs Juventus with another selection problem on a day when Manuel Locatelli is already out. Spalletti also made clear that Pape Matar Sarr will be available, giving him at least one more option as he shapes the side for an away game in Emilia-Romagna. For readers looking at the matchup now, the immediate question is less about the opponent and more about how many regular pieces Juventus can count on from the start.
Spalletti used the eve-of-match briefing to frame the moment as one that asks for a response rather than excuses. He said Juventus have trained very well this week and insisted they have to go out and win games, impose themselves by playing like Juventus, and raise their level even further. He also said Nick Woltemade has settled quickly into the group and will be involved against Sassuolo in one way or another.
The absence of Locatelli matters because Spalletti described him as the kind of player whose attention spreads responsibility across the squad. Losing him, and possibly McKennie and Cambiaso as well, forces Juventus to adjust without much room to drift from their plan. The coach said that can be done through structure as much as through names, noting that the team must go beyond whatever happens to it during the game.
There is also a matchup problem waiting on the other side. Spalletti said Sassuolo are among the best teams at winning the ball back and breaking forward, a warning that fits a side he also praised for the quality of its football. He added that he can see Alberto Aquilani’s style in the teams the coach has worked with, including Sassuolo, which is another reason Juventus will need control as well as energy if they want the result Spalletti demanded.
If Cambiaso does not clear the morning test, Juventus will go into Matchday 4 with one fewer route to balance the side in a match that already carries enough uncertainty. The fitness check now sits at the center of the story, because it will decide whether Spalletti can lean on one more familiar option or has to find another answer before kickoff.
