Spalletti: ‘I too am curious about Zhegrova’ first Juventus start

Luciano Spalletti explains he is ‘curious’ to see Edon Zhegrova get his first Juventus start, admitting this is a ‘fundamental match’ against Pafos for their Champions League future.

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Benfica-Napoli on the Liveblog.

The Bianconeri are in dire need of a boost in the Champions League after just one victory and a total of six points from the opening five games.

That means tonight’s clash with Pafos is a head-to-head for position, because the Cypriots also have six points in the table.

Following the 2-1 defeat to Napoli, Spalletti said in a press conference that he had accepted responsibility for picking the wrong tactics initially.

“There was criticism, so I explained what I said to the lads, that things didn’t go the way we thought,” explained Spalletti on Sky Sport Italia.

“Tonight it becomes a fundamental match for our future in the Champions League. We have the opportunity to win, so everything we do has to be focused on that, on countering their determination, their desire to prove that they are on our level. If we can counter that, then we’ll have an advantage to bring the result home.”

Zhegrova gets his first start not only in the Juventus jersey, but for almost a year, as his last was for Lille against Olympique Marseille on December 14, 2024.

“We had to alternate some training sessions, but seeing as we can’t be consistent on that, giving him a chance is answering my own curiosity about him too. He therefore starts, so we can all realise directly what he can do. There are also five substitutions, so if he is below par after a certain amount of the match, we can take action.”

Spalletti was also eager to explain his criticism of Jonathan David when asked why he wasn’t given four or five starts to gain consistency.

“That too was in general, I also referred to Adzic. There are talented players who I don’t start, because I cannot give everyone four or five starts in a row. David has some great quality, and doesn’t always manage to express it.”