Koopmeiners' chances at Juventus rise after Locatelli injury

Opportunities for Teun Koopmeiners to secure a regular spot in the Juventus first team are growing, now that Italian captain Manuel Locatelli suffered a knee injury after the 1‑1 draw against AC Milan, which has greatly reduced the midfield options. This makes his chances of starting minutes in the upcoming Serie A match against Sassuolo and the Europa League tie with NEC considerably larger.

Locatelli’s absence opens door

Locatelli, captain of Juventus, suffered a knee injury in the home duel against Milan (1‑1). Corriere dello Sport reports that the Italian will be sidelined for three to four months and that surgery is likely.

The injury comes at a time when Luciano Spalletti has already had to miss Kenan Yildiz and Khephren Thuram, leaving the midfield options very thin. Weston McKennie and Pape Matar Sarr have also been unavailable for a long period, although they appear likely to be back in action soon.

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Despite Teun Koopmeiners having only featured as a substitute this season, he has already contributed a goal and an assist. He scored in the second round of fixtures against Parma and on Sunday against Milan provided the assist for Federico Gatti’s equaliser (1‑1).

Currently, Douglas Luiz and Koopmeiners are the only fit midfielders at the Old Lady, leaving Spalletti with little choice. With the Italian’s absence and the other options limited, Koopmeiners’ chance of playing time in the match against NEC in the Europa League is high.

Next Sunday Juventus play an away match at Sassuolo in Serie A, and four days later the club will host NEC in Turin for the first stage of the Europa League. The situation underscores that the captain’s injury opens a direct door for Koopmeiners to secure a regular place in the Juventus first team.