Juventus Visits Genoa in Serie A; Spalletti Deploys 3-5-2 With Kolo Muani Solo Striker

Juventus travelled to Genoa for a midweek Serie A fixture on October 28, 2026, at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, kicking off at 20:45 CET. Head coach Luciano Spalletti deployed a 3-5-2 formation with Randal Kolo Muani as the sole striker, supported by Kenan Alajbegović. The Bianconeri's starting XI featured goalkeeper Vicario; defenders Gatti, Bremer, and Lucumí; midfielders Kalulu, McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Sarr, and Cambiaso. Notably, both Teun Koopmeiners and Nicolò Woltemade did not start, despite being in the squad list.

Juventus entered the match seventh in the league with 14 points, coming off a 2-0 away victory at Lecce on Sunday—their first league win in 35 days—with goals from McKennie and Douglas Luiz. However, the club faced a significant injury crisis affecting depth across all positions. Long-term absentees included Kenan Yildiz (foot surgery), Khéphren Thuram (knee surgery), and Manuel Locatelli (meniscus). Additional players unavailable through international break were Francisco Conceição (shoulder dislocation), Zeki Çelik (thigh), and Nico González (soleus). Kamil Grabara's season ended with an ACL tear. Jeff Ekhator was also sidelined and unavailable to face his former club. In response, Spalletti called up three youth players from the Next Gen squad: Owusu, Pagnucco, and 18-year-old striker Durmisi, making his first senior call-up.

Genoa, managed by Daniele De Rossi, fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with goalkeeper Bijlow; defenders Marcandalli, Ostigard, and Vasquez; wing-backs Ehizibue and Ellertsson; midfielders Frendrup and Amorim; attacking midfielders Baldanzi and Vitinha; and forward Osmajic. The hosts sat 16th in the table with seven points but had secured momentum with consecutive home victories against Fiorentina and Venezia, with Mikael Ellertsson scoring the winner against Venezia. Kingsley Ehizibue and Sow returned to the squad after absence. Samuel Wiafe was available despite going off in the previous match, while Lorenzo Venturino, Elias Havel, and Cody Drameh remained out.

Historically, Juventus held the advantage in the fixture, having won their last four meetings against Genoa in all competitions and kept clean sheets in five consecutive Serie A matches against the Ligurian club. Referee Daniele Doveri was appointed for the match. Neither side had any suspended players for the fixture.