A mounting injury crisis is threatening to derail Juventus's promising start to the season. The club sits sixth in Serie A with seven points from three games, but the mood at the Continassa has turned anxious after captain Manuel Locatelli underwent knee surgery following the 1-1 draw with Milan, ruling him out for close to five months. Combined with the earlier losses of Marcus Thuram and Kenan Yildiz, plus a fresh injury to Jeremie Boga picked up in the same game, Spalletti is running critically short of options in midfield and attack.

The timing could hardly be worse. Where Juventus once had eight midfielders competing for two or three positions, the manager is now leaning heavily on Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners, with Next Gen prospect Augusto Owusu likely to be called upon. The club has explored free-agent options including Marcelo Brozovic, though squad list regulations mean signing anyone requires more than simply removing Locatelli from the books.

On the pitch, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Douglas Luiz has rediscovered his best form and earned a Brazil call-up, while Nick Woltemade made an encouraging substitute appearance against Milan. Spalletti is considering starting both Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani together at Sassuolo on Sunday, a tactical shift that could unlock more from an attack that has yet to fire consistently. The next few weeks will test the squad's depth severely.