Juventus Midfielder Facing Lengthy Spell On The Sidelines
Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners faces a lengthier spell on the sidelines than initially expected after cracking his rib against Cagliari. According to Calciomercato, a painful injury has prevented the ex-Atalanta playmaker from joining the Netherlands squad for October’s UEFA Nations League fixtures.
But that’s the least of Thiago Motta’s concerns. Koopmeiners reportedly feels immense pain and couldn’t report for training since being withdrawn at halftime against Cagliari. Juventus doctors have advised him to rest for a few days before undergoing further tests to assess the extent of the injury and determine whether he will be fit for their upcoming games.
Therefore, there’s a scare among the Juventus medical team that Koopmeiners could be unavailable for the next Serie A match against Lazio. He could also skip Juve’s UEFA Champions League clash against Stuttgart, forcing Motta to revisit his options for the advanced playmaker role.
Koopmeiners’ injury could offer Douglas Luiz an opportunity to hit the ground running at Juventus. The Brazilian has struggled since swapping Aston Villa for the Allianz Stadium in the summer. Despite moving to Serie A with the pedigree of an elite midfielder, he has flopped during his early life in Italy.
Motta still doesn’t trust Luiz, largely thanks to his questionable fitness condition. Samuel Mbangula could be a more exciting alternative, even though he has vanished from the picture since inspiring Juventus to a 3-0 demolition of newcomers Como on the opening Serie A weekend.
Juventus picked up another scary injury concern against Cagliari as Teun Koopmeiners ‘requested’ to be taken off at halftime. According to DAZN via Calciomercato, the Netherlands international felt pain in his ribs and had to stay in the dressing room during the break.
At first, it looked like another tactical choice from Thiago Motta. He subbed off Dusan Vlahovic at halftime during a 0-0 draw against Napoli in September. But this was different. Koopmeiners struggled in the first half against Cagliari as Juventus grabbed a first-half lead through another penalty converted by Vlahovic.
Nicolo Fagioli took Koopmeiners’ place at the start of the second half.
The former Atalanta playmaker wasn’t 100% fit for today after having problems during the midweek UEFA Champions League clash against RB Leipzig. However, he has already become crucial for Juventus, and Motta decided to start him against Cagliari despite his earlier fitness issues.
That decision could now backfire on the Dutch national team. The 26-year-old may have to skip the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures to accelerate his recovery. With a two-week hiatus on the horizon, the Juventus midfielder will have enough time to prepare for Lazio’s visit to the Allianz Stadium on October 19.
Koopmeiners’ injury scare comes days after Juventus lost defensive cornerstone Gleison Bremer to a long-term knee problem in Germany. The Brazilian center-back faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being diagnosed with an ACL tear. On the bright side, the Dutchman’s injury isn’t as bad as Bremer’s.
