Socrates

Chiellini: ‘Spalletti long term at Juventus, this is a must win game’ Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini insists he sees Luciano Spalletti as ‘a long-term’ coach beyond his contract to the end of the season, but it’s a ‘must-win’ game against Pafos. It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 20.00 GMT. ............ Does Chiellini wish he could step onto the pitch and play a game like this? “My calf muscles do not agree,” he laughed. “Today is a decisive match, Pafos are a team to be respected, but we absolutely must win today in order to continue our Champions League progress and get back on track after the defeat to Napoli. “Our regrets remain not just at the loss, but how it came about.” ............ “Luciano spoke and sent out the same signals within the locker room as he does in the press room. He needed to push them, because it’s true that we’ve all got to do better.” ............ “We knew that Zhegrova would struggle for fitness at the start, but now he’s doing better and we are starting to see something special in training,” added Chiellini. “He might have a half in him today or a little more, but it’ll be good if he can show from the start what he’s provided in the final 15 minutes so far.” ............ “I think Spalletti immediately got in sync with the squad and is here to enjoy this adventure. I think of him as being here long-term, not just until June,” assured Chiellini. “The players can see that when they do what he asks, it can work. There’s a lack of consistency at the moment, we are a work in progress, and there is great faith in what he can bring to Juve today. “At the end of the season, we will sit down, and I’d be happy for us to continue together.” . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/chiellini-spalletti-long-term-at-juventus-win/

John Elkann vende il gruppo GEDI comprendente diverse testate giornalistiche: La Stampa e Repubblica le principali.

JONATHAN DAVID 2-0

WESTON MCKENNIE 1-0

Almeno combatte Chico

Il centrocampo é purtroppo il nostro punto debole

Thuram é in crisi

Oltre tutto non guadagna neanche tanto alla Juve. In Premier League gli danno il salario attuale moltiplicato per 3 o 4.

David si mangia un altro gol?

Mi sa che a Yildiz sta passando la voglia di giocare alla Juve. Lo vedo parecchio incazzato con i compagni.

Palo del Pafos

Perdono tempo i ciprioti. Vogliono mantenere lo 0-0 fino al novantesimo?

L'arbitro si chiama Jesus ..... Sempre sia lodato referee.

Cambiaso e Koop si danneggiano a vicenda davanti alla porta cipriota. E l'olandese ride. Ma che te ridi?

Il portiere del Pafos indossa una maschera. Forse non vedrá bene il pallone arrivare.

Cambiaso tenta di battere Di Gregorio. Vuole imitare McKennie?

Speriamo che Zhegrova giochi piú minuti possibili e che segni pure ....... mi voglio rovinare.

Juventus vs Pafos – David Luiz labels Yildiz a ‘phenomenon’ and reveals Spalletti connection David Luiz says Juventus star Kenan Yildiz is a “phenomenon” as the veteran defender prepares to face the Bianconeri with Cypriot side Pafos in the Champions League. ............ The Brazilian singled out Yildiz as the Juventus player who has impressed him most this season. “Yildiz is a phenomenon. He has an incredible style, I love watching him.” ............ David Luiz revealed he has known Spalletti “for a long time”, praising the Italy coach’s obsessive attention to detail and tactical preparation. “I know how much he loves football. He works tirelessly, spending hours studying opponents. He always looks for a plan to win inside the game.” ............ The defender insisted Pafos will not approach the match at the Allianz Stadium with a passive attitude, despite the gulf between the sides. “We know our level, but we won’t go to Turin just to defend. Juventus are a great team, but it won’t be easy to beat us if we stay united, solid and brave.” ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/juventus-vs-pafos-david-luiz-labels-yildiz/

Champions League: Juventus vs. Pafos – Probable line-ups Edon Zhegrova is set to earn his full Juventus debut against Pafos in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, as Luciano Spalletti continues life without Dusan Vlahovic in attack. ............ Over in the Champions League, Juventus and Pafos sit level on points (six) after five matches, with the Bianconeri currently sitting in 23rd place ahead of kick-off and tonight’s opponents in 24th. ............ Jonathan David could come back into the starting line-up after being left out against Napoli, with Kenan Yildiz also in line to start. Pre-match reports suggest that Zhegrova could be given his full Bianconeri debut on the right flank, instead of Francisco Conceicao or Lois Openda. This could also be an opportunity for the recently re-emerged Fabio Miretti to start in Central midfield. Kick-off is due at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET). Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti, Cambiaso; Zhegrova, Yildiz; David. Pafos (4-2-3-1): Michail; Bruno, Luckassen, David Luiz, Goldar; Sunjic, Pepe; Correia, Dragomir, Orsic; Anderson Silva. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/ucl-juventus-vs-pafos-probable-line-ups/

Biasin says Spalletti is using a fearful approach at Juventus Luciano Spalletti is still finding his feet as the new manager of Juventus, working tirelessly to restore the team to its former heights while avoiding the pitfalls experienced by some of his predecessors. Many observers believe Spalletti has more to offer than the last two managers who occupied the Juventus bench, and he has the potential to prove this if he can consistently deliver strong performances on the pitch. However, football often hinges on fine margins between winning and losing, and excessive tinkering with the squad can sometimes result in unexpected defeats. ............ Juve appeared to be adapting to Spalletti’s methods when they recorded three consecutive victories before facing Napoli. Yet, in Naples, the team suffered a defeat that highlighted how delicate the balance can be between preparation and overthinking. Spalletti’s selection choices for that match appeared overthought, and the side did not perform with the same cohesion and intensity displayed in their previous wins. The gaffer is clearly committed to shaping the squad into a unit capable of sustaining a long winning run, but the challenges of adapting to a new system and instilling confidence in the players remain significant. ............ Fabrizio Biasin has suggested that Spalletti may be affected by the lingering weight of his past experiences, particularly his time with the national team. He said: “The coach is still chasing his lost serenity, as if the shadow of his experience with the national team—marked by enormous pressure, fierce criticism, and a climate that was never truly relaxed—has lingered on him longer than expected. At Juve, where the atmosphere is simultaneously demanding (rightly so) and awaiting a turning point (ditto), Spalletti appears at times restrained, almost afraid to dare.” ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/journalist-says-spalletti-is-using-a-fearful-approach-at-juventus/

Champions League Preview: Juventus vs. Pafos FC When it comes to Juventus’ standing in the Champions League, there is not much of a difference in approach from Matchday 5 now onto Matchday 6. Just because they now have a win under their belt in Europe — which, again, is not necessarily you want to suddenly boast about in the first days of December — it won’t change the challenge that Luciano Spalletti’s squad still faces. They knew the situation two weeks ago against Bodø/Glimt. And they certainly know it now. It’s pretty much win or you’re going to make qualifying for the play-off round an incredibly tough possibility. With three matchdays to go, Juve face a situation where they pretty much have to win every single one of them to be comfortable with their standing in the UCL league phase table. The first of those remaining three matchups comes Wednesday night, when one of the smallest clubs in the competition, Pafos FC of Cyprus, makes their way to Turin for a meeting of clubs who are both sitting on the cusp of either moving up a few more spots with a win or risk going into the final 180 minutes of the league phase teetering on the fence of qualifying for the play-off round or seeing an European run end next month. ............ After Tuesday night’s slate of games, this is how things look when it comes to the league phase table: 23rd place: Juventus — 6 points 24th place: Pafos — 6 points Well, that’s not exactly a great situation to find yourself in — especially when you consider that the cutoff for the play-off round is, you guessed it, 24th place. (Ironically, the team to have just beaten Juventus over the weekend, Napoli, are sitting right above the Bianconeri in 22nd place. So, as you can imagine, things are going great in Europe for a couple of Italy’s biggest clubs. Then you have Atalanta in third and Inter Milan in fifth, so there’s also that.) Juventus and Pafos have taken different paths to their total of six points. Juventus have had high-scoring draws before a comeback win on the frigid artificial turf in the Arctic Circle. Pafos, on the other hand, have played to a pair of scoreless draws in their first two away fixtures in the Champions League this season. ............ How much that good fortune continues for this club from Cyprus remains to be seen. But it’s a pretty simple fact that expecting Pafos to suddenly change what they’re doing against a Juventus side that has struggled to break down defensive approaches would probably be the wrong path to go down. This feels like the kind of matchup in which you know Juve will be the favorite, but also realize Spalletti’s squad will have to try and strike quick to avoid any late-game craziness at all costs. That means a first half like Juventus showed in Naples just ain’t going to cut it. It really doesn’t matter if it’s against Pafos in the Champions League or even a relegation battler domestically, that kind of performance isn’t going to result in much of anything good happenings for Spalletti and Co. Heck, a first half like we saw against Bodø/Glimt won’t be good enough, either. (At least they figured it out for the most part in the second half, right?) This will be Spalletti’s biggest test. Juve’s coming off a bad loss and needs to win in the Champions League. If the 12-point mark is what they need to hit to ensure that they are somewhere in the play-off round field, then a win over Pafos gives them a small room for error heading into the final two league phase fixtures. But anything less than a win against Pafos will make life even hard than it already is — and that’s the last thing this team needs during a time in which they still look like they’re trying to figure out what their new manager actually wants. TEAM NEWS Dusan Vlahovic is out injured. Federico Gatti is out injured. HOWEVER … there was some good injury news to come out of Turin on Tuesday, with both Daniele Rugani and Gleison Bremer returning to training. Spalletti confirmed that both players will be called up to face Pafos, although both of them are almost certainly coming off the bench and nothing more than that. That means Juve’s starting defense will likely be the same trio it was over the weekend: Pierre Kalulu, Lloyd Kelly and Teun Koopmeiners. Spalletti also confirmed that Edon Zhegrova is set to make his first Juventus start on Wednesday night. Just what the domino effect of Zhegrova being in the starting lineup against Pafos remains to be seen. It could be as simple as him coming into the lineup for somebody like Francisco Conceição, or it could be a little more than just that. But considering how things went in the first half against Napoli over the weekend, Spalletti sticking with Kenan Yildiz as a false nine of sorts is probably extremely unlikely. ............ The last time Juventus faced a club from Cyprus was nearly half a century ago. While they haven’t done a lot of winning at home in Europe of late, Juve also hasn’t lost much at the Allianz in continental competition, with just two losses in their last 11 fixtures in Turin. JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH Oh, you mean the guy who so many of us have wanted to see get more minutes is about to get more minutes? ............ Edon Zhegrova is set to make his first start as a Juventus player on Wednesday night. It has maybe taken a little longer than some thought it would, but with the physical limitation he’s had since coming back from his lengthy injury absence, it’s a moment that will come a couple of weeks before Christmas. The question obviously becomes this: How much will Zhegrova be able to give Juventus in said first start? ............ We just don’t know how many minutes Zhegrova will have in his legs. And for a team like Pafos that will almost certainly try and outlast Juventus rather than try and get on them quick — especially with the game being in Turin — just how long this first start will be remains a rather giant question mark no matter how exciting it might be to see him finally be included in the starting XI. To date, Zhegrova has played more than 25 minutes off the bench just twice with Juventus. The most minutes he’s played in a single game this season (28) has come with Kosovo rather than Juventus —and that was during the most recent international break. But since then, his three subsequent appearances with Juve have totaled all of about 25 minutes (plus some stoppage time thrown in). That’s not much, which makes you wonder where his legs are at physically more than anything else. He’s clearly not at 100% fitness yet. That’s obvious. It’s something that Igor Tudor said he didn’t want to push out of fear of seeing Zhegrova be forced to miss even more time than he already has. It’s something that you feel like Spalletti has continued to closely monitor since he became manager in late October, too. But, for now, getting a little more Zhegrova in our lives feels like the kind of spark Juventus need to try and get more of these days. It can’t always be Yildiz being the only threat in attack, and you know Zhegrova is going to be happy to take on the role of guy who also tries to destroy the opposing defense as much as he can. MATCH INFO When: Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Where: Juventus Stadium Turin, Italy. Official kickoff time: 9 p.m. local time in Italy and across Europe, 8 p.m. in the United Kingdom, 3 p.m. Eastern time, 2 p.m. Central time, 12 p.m. Pacific time. Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/previews-reviews/34472/juventus-pafos-fc-2025-champions-league-league-phase-matchday-6-preview-team-news-schedule-how-to-watch