Juventus Faces Udinese in Coppa Italia Knockout Match Today

TORINO, Italy — Juventus plays Udinese today in a crucial Coppa Italia match at the Allianz Stadium. The game marks the beginning of Juventus’s journey in this year’s Coppa Italia, where they aim to reclaim a top position in Italian football.

Kickoff is set for 8:45 PM local time, following Juventus’s recent 2-1 victory over Cagliari in Serie A. Coach Luciano Spalletti is making adjustments to the lineup due to an injury to forward Dusan Vlahovic. He is counting on Jonathan David and Lois Openda to lead the attack.

Both teams are looking to advance to the quarterfinals. Udinese enters the match after defeating Carrarese and Palermo in previous rounds. Spalletti has indicated that he will rotate players for today’s match to manage energy levels, with many new faces in the starting eleven.

Defensively, Gatti returns to the lineup alongside Kalulu and Kelly. In the midfield, Koopmeiners joins Miretti on the pitch. On the wings, Joao Mario and Kostic will look to create scoring opportunities.

One of the intriguing changes is the inclusion of Adzic behind the forwards, as Spalletti experiments with a fresh combination of David and Openda upfront. The full starting lineup for Juventus is: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; Joao Mario, Miretti, Koopmeiners, Kostic; Adzic; Openda, David.

Udinese, under coach Aleksandar Runjaic, is also making strategic adjustments. They are set to field a slightly modified but competitive squad, including Goglichidze in defense and Miller, Piotrowski, and Ekkelenkamp in midfield. In attack, Piatek and Buksa are expected to form the frontline, while Zaniolo may start on the bench.

The match will be broadcast live on Italia 1 and available for streaming on Mediaset Infinity.