Juventus vs Sassuolo Preview: Teun Koopmeiners Joins Midfield Amid Injury Crisis
Teun Koopmeiners is set to be thrown straight back into the Juventus midfield as Luciano Spalletti wrestles with an early-season injury pile-up ahead of Sunday night’s trip to Sassuolo.
Juve head to the Mapei Stadium defending an unbeaten start to the 2026-27 Serie A campaign, with kick-off at 19.45 BST. The performances have not always been fluent, but seven points from nine against Frosinone, Parma and Milan have given Spalletti a solid platform.
Spalletti juggling injuries and reputations
That platform is under stress. Captain Manuel Locatelli is out for the next few months. Khephren Thuram is in the same situation. Weston McKennie is still not ready to return.
The result? Players who only a few weeks ago looked surplus to requirements are suddenly central to the project.
Koopmeiners, previously on the fringes, is expected to start at the base of midfield alongside Douglas Luiz, another who had been pushed towards the exit door in pre-season talk. Now they form the shield in front of the back four as Juventus try to keep control of a tricky away fixture.
Tottenham loanee Pape Matar Sarr should be in a Juventus matchday squad for the first time since his summer arrival in Turin, adding a fresh option on the bench for Spalletti in the engine room.
Sassuolo test for unbeaten Juve
Sassuolo sit 10th after three games, with one win, one draw and one defeat. It is a familiar early-season rhythm for a side that often mixes sharp attacking phases with defensive lapses.
Juventus, meanwhile, opened with wins over Frosinone and Parma before being pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Milan at the Allianz Stadium last weekend. That result slowed the momentum, but did not derail it.
There is no Kenan Yildiz for this one either. His absence keeps the door open for summer signing Kerim Alajbegovic, who deputised against Milan and is expected to retain his place in the line of three behind the striker.
Pre-match indications from Sky Sport Italia point towards Nico Gonzalez starting as the central attacking midfielder, preferred to Nick Woltemade in the No. 10 role. Gonzalez’s movement between the lines and ability to drive at defenders could be key against a Sassuolo side that often leaves space between midfield and defence.
Out wide, Juventus are again without Andrea Cambiaso, Jeremie Boga, Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal, trimming Spalletti’s options in the full-back and wing roles.
Probable line-ups
Sassuolo are expected to stick with a 4-3-3:
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Muric; Cinquegrano, Leysen, Idzes, Doig; Adzic, Matic, Bakola; Berardi, Esposito, Lauriente.
Juventus are set to respond with a 4-2-3-1 built around that rebuilt midfield axis:
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumi, Celik; Douglas Luiz, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, N. Gonzalez, Alajbegovic; Kolo Muani.
Randal Kolo Muani once again leads the line, with Conceicao offering direct running from the flank and Alajbegovic tasked with stitching attacks together from the left side of the three.
Where to watch
In the UK, the game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max and DAZN. Viewers in the USA can watch on Paramount+.
Juventus have the points on the board, but with key leaders missing and reputations being rebuilt in real time, the real question is whether this patched-together midfield can keep their season’s early promise intact in Reggio Emilia.
