Juventus are enduring one of their most difficult stretches of the season, and the pressure on Luciano Spalletti is growing with each passing week. A 3-0 home defeat to Lazio in Serie A set the alarm bells ringing, and the subsequent 2-2 draw with Rennes in Europa League, while keeping their unbeaten European record intact, did little to ease the mood at the club. Spalletti addressed the speculation around his future before the Rennes match, telling Sky Sport that media focus on managerial sackings was unwelcome, and after the draw he admitted he was still losing sleep over results.

The injury situation has become a serious concern. Zeki Celik scored against Rennes but left the field at half-time with a low-grade hamstring injury, while Nico Gonzalez picked up a calf problem despite only coming on as a substitute. Those two setbacks bring the total number of players to have visited the treatment room this season to 16, a figure that reflects a broader problem with squad fitness and availability.

With Spalletti now missing eight players for the trip to Lecce in the eighth round of Serie A, the tactical options are limited. He has settled on a front two of Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani, a partnership that showed promise against Rennes even if the overall result disappointed. Sitting tenth in Serie A with 11 points from seven games, Juventus cannot afford another slip.