Juventus go into their Europa League opener after a 3-2 defeat away to Sassuolo and with five players unavailable for this preview. NEC Nijmegen are the visitors, but the sharper question is whether Luciano Spalletti can keep Juventus compact enough to control the game while leaning on a 4-2-3-1 that already has gaps around it.
Juventus need the double pivot to hold
The shape matters here because the missing names are spread across the pitch. Manuel Locatelli is out, along with Jérémie Boga, Juan Cabal, Kenan Yıldız and Jeff Ekhator. That leaves Spalletti with less cover in midfield and less variety in the final third.
The planned structure is a 4-2-3-1 with Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners as the double pivot and Nico Gonzalez between the lines. Juventus have averaged 56% possession across their last four matches, so the issue is not whether they can see enough of the ball. It is whether they can use it cleanly enough to stop the game from becoming stretched.
Spalletti has already said Juventus have been depleted by injuries in the early stages of the 2026-27 season, and he has also pointed to a lack of movement away from the ball. That has pushed them towards low-percentage attempts and isolated dribbles, which is exactly the kind of attack a compact European opponent will invite if the distances between Juventus' lines are too large.
Juventus have taken one loss, one draw and two wins in their last five league matches. That is a decent enough recent return, but the 3-2 loss at Sassuolo still hangs over the opener because it exposed how quickly the structure can loosen once the press is bypassed.
NEC's numbers still demand respect
NEC are not arriving just to sit off and survive. They finished third in the Eredivisie and reached the KNVB Cup final last season, and their attacking output has been lively enough to make Juventus work. They have produced 1.09 expected goals per match this term.
The concern is at the other end. NEC are conceding 2.27 expected goals per match, which is a large gap for any side going into Europe. Dick Schreuder's team can create, but they have also been giving opponents too much space and too many clean looks.
That is where Juventus should have the edge if the double pivot holds. Spalletti does not need a wild opener, he needs control, clean spacing and enough security behind Gonzalez to stop NEC from turning the match into an open exchange.
The one selection debate still hanging over the squad is Manuel Locatelli's UEFA list spot. Football-Italia have suggested Juventus could replace him temporarily under the competition rules, while The Hattrick said the club are already trying to work around the injury situation in other ways. Either way, the immediate concern is simpler: Juventus need the players they have left to look organised on Thursday night.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
