Reports in Italy suggest that Luciano Spalletti might leave Randal Kolo Muani on the bench for an away game at Genoa, not just to rest him ahead of the weekend’s game against Napoli.
Juventus visit Genoa at Marassi on Wednesday in the Serie A Round 9 played mid-week.
Latest Juventus team news: Kolo Muani benched?
Several sources, including Tuttosport and Corriere dello Sport, claim Kolo Muani might start on the bench. Juventus have a tight fixture list, with a big home game against Napoli next Sunday. However, Kolo Muani’s potential omission isn’t just about rotation.
The ex-Tottenham and PSG striker has failed to justify his €50m price tag so far this season, scoring just three goals, including only one in Serie A, in 11 appearances.
Kolo Muani has started nine times and played the full 90 minutes six times in Serie A.
Spalletti has reshuffled Juventus’ line-up in the last two games, pairing Kolo Muani with Nick Woltemade. The German has shown greater improvement than his strike partner and is expected to make his third consecutive appearance in the starting XI across all competitions.
Tuttosport reports that Spalletti will confirm a 3-5-2 system against Genoa, with Kerim Alajbegovic currently favourite to partner with Woltemade up front.
Both Kolo Muani and Woltemade joined Juventus over the summer, but the latter is on loan from Newcastle, and Juventus are reportedly looking for more reinforcements for the January window, setting their sights on Monaco’s Folarin Balogun.
Spalletti will provide the latest team news at a pre-match press conference at 16:00 CET [15:00 GMT] later today.