Serie A Week 16 official line-ups: Juventus vs. Roma

Serie A Week 16 official line-ups: Juventus vs. Roma

Gleison Bremer, Kenan Yildiz and Lois Openda start for Juventus in the showdown with Roma’s Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini, but the defences are reshuffled.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lazio vs. Cremonese on the Liveblog.

This is a massive head-to-head for position, as only four points separate them going into the weekend, so it becomes a showdown for fourth place.

Juve are playing catch-up since Luciano Spalletti took over, given a significant boost with last week’s 1-0 win away to Bologna.

However, he is forced into some changes this evening, because Teun Koopmeiners is suspended, with Federico Gatti, Dusan Vlahovic and Juan Cabal out injured.

Cabal was a late addition to the absentee list, having scored the winner against Bologna, so it gives Bremer the opportunity for his first start since the meniscus injury on September 27.

Elsewhere, Openda is preferred to Jonathan David upfront, with support from Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao.

Arek Milik is back on the bench after 574 days of injury nightmare.

Roma are trying to close up on the top spot, especially as Week 16 is staggered due to the Supercoppa Italiana fixtures.

However, Gian Piero Gasperini has problems, because Artem Dovbyk is injured, Mario Hermoso struggling with a muscular issue, plus Evan Ndicka and Neil El Aynaoui at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The options in defence are very limited, so Jan Ziolkowski gets only his third start in the Roma jersey, the previous two lasted 30 minutes and 45 minutes.

Devyne Rensch is also pulled into the back three to fill the gaps, as Zeki Celik returns from suspension and goes wide.

Dybala is back in the starting XI against his old club, with another ex-Juventus player in Matias Soulé, but Pellegrini completes the False 9 trident rather than Evan Ferguson.

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Openda

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ziolkowski, Rensch; Celik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Pellegrini; Dybala

Quick take: Match context: momentum and small details could decide this one, especially set-pieces and transitions. Form and fitness will matter; expect managers to rotate carefully around the congested schedule. We’ll keep an eye on confirmed details as the story develops from official sources.

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