Juventus Shakes Up Tactics for Udinese Cup Clash: A Four-Back Defense Debut
2 December 2025
Match Preview
Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti announced the lineup for the Coppa Italia Round of 16 against Udinese at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
In a tactical departure from the plan used since his arrival, he opted for a four-man defense instead of the usual three.
The Juve coach also recalled Teun Koopmeiners into midfield, while Kenan Yildiz and Jonathan David were selected in attack.
Key injuries hit Juventus, notably Dusan Vlahovic, who suffered a serious injury in the previous match against Cagliari and is out for an extended period. Goalkeepers Mattia Perin and Carlo Pinsoglio, plus Gleison Bremer, Danilo Rugani, and Arkadius Milik are also unavailable.
The evening’s match card highlighted a Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie featuring Juventus against Udinese, with the starting lineups listed for both sides.
Starting XI for Juventus and the Udinese lineup were listed, with the Turin side hoping the reshaped defense and midfields can blunt the visitors.
Starting Juventus XI: De Gregorio - Kalolo - Gatti - Kiely - Cabal - Makeni - Koopmeiners - Meriti - Cambiasso - Yildiz - David.
Starting Udinese XI: Sava - Palma - Solite - Bertola - Ehizipie - Lovritch - Zaraga - Arthur Ato - Zimera - Zanilo - Buksa.
Punchline 1: Spalletti’s plan is so tight, even the offside trap needs a nap to avoid an alarm clock.
Punchline 2: If this works, Juventus’ defense will give attackers a run for their money—and probably a better organized calendar too.
