Juventus Hit Again as Villarreal Deliver European Jolt
2 octobre 2025
Injury setback for Cabal
The Colombian left-back Juan Cabal has sustained a medium hamstring injury, ruling him out for a number of weeks and piling yet more pressure on Juventus during a dense European schedule.
Italian outlets report that Cabal will be sidelined for at least six weeks, a painful blow for the Old Lady as they navigate both Serie A and Champions League commitments.
The club disclosed the diagnosis after Cabal was withdrawn after only 15 minutes of the Champions League clash with Villarreal (2-2) on Wednesday night, in the second group-stage matchday.
Club medicine confirmed the medical scan results this morning: a medium strain in the right biceps femoris, with further testing planned over the next two weeks to refine his recovery timetable.
Cabal had only recently returned from an ACL injury, making this setback particularly hard on a player who was building his role again in the squad.
According to Gazetta dello Sport, the recovery period is pegged at roughly six weeks, with Juventus hoping he can rejoin the squad by late November for the Fiorentina game.
The 24-year-old joined Juve from Hellas Verona for €12.8 million in the summer of 2024, and his career has included stints in Colombia and Italy—most notably 34 games for Verona in two seasons and 50 appearances for Atletico Nacional to date, with a handful of goals and cautions along the way.
At Juventus, Cabal has featured 12 times, scoring once and providing an assist in 664 minutes since arriving in 2024.
In the current season (2025-26), Juventus have played five league fixtures, winning three and drawing two to collect 11 points and sit fourth in the table, behind Milan, Napoli and Roma on 12 points apiece.
In Europe, Juve’s campaigns so far show a 2-point haul from six possible in the Champions League after a 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund and a 2-2 stalemate with Villarreal.
Drama of Villarreal’s Yellow Submarine
Villarreal opened the scoring through Mikaotadze in the 18th minute, only for Juventus to respond after the break with Federico Gatti’s strike in the 49th minute.
Juventus then went ahead through Francesco Consisao’s goal in the 56th, but Renato Veiga headed home a late, dramatic equaliser in stoppage time to deny the visitors.
That draw leaves Juventus with a pivotal next fixture against Real Madrid; another setback would complicate their European road, while a win could restore confidence and momentum.
Statistically, Juventus have shown an improved attacking output this season, with nine goals in the opening five league games—roughly two per game, up from six at the same stage last year when the attack struggled. Defensively, five goals conceded compares to three in the opening rounds of last season, indicating a trade-off between offense and defense as the squad develops. Shots on target have risen to around 14 per game, up from 11, underscoring a more threatening side that still needs to tighten at the back. Beyond numbers, the team’s demeanor against elite opponents looks more assured, as evidenced by the Inter win, contrasting with last season’s early Napoli loss, suggesting Juventus are closer to challenging for the summit despite recent hiccups.
Punchline 1: If injuries were a goal, Cabal would be the top scorer—just not the kind of record Juve brag about at the end of the season.
Punchline 2: Juve’s medical staff might soon start charging admission for this drama—tickets to the clinic, 1-0 in favor of the suspense!
