After opening their 2026-27 season with a win last weekend at Frosinone, Juventus\u2019 return to the Allianz Stadium was looked at as another step in what would hopefully be a winning start to the new campaign. After a summer in which the mercato has been slow to develop thanks to the World Cup and deals for main targets \u2014 namely in goal \u2014 never materializing, the return to on-field action was appreciated, and a win last Sunday was a decent change compared to when Juve last faced Serie A competition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Then we heard about Kenan Yildiz\u2019s foot and the time he will miss as a result of it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So now, rather than it being the kind of theme that goes something like \u201cJuventus return home to try and make it two straight wins to begin the season,\u201d we\u2019re shifting to a narrative that\u2019s \u201cJuventus play first game without their young star Yildiz in their home opener.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Saturday night is very much Juventus\u2019 first home fixture of the season, but it\u2019s also their first game for a good amount of time without their 21-year-old budding star who wears the No. 10 on his back. So as much as this matchup with Parma is just one game, it\u2019s also the first game in which they\u2019re starting to learn what they can do without their star man on the left wing. With other injuries as well, there\u2019s now decisions to be made by Juve manager Luciano Spalletti, and that means the potential for possible lineup combinations that both give us a little excitement but also a whole lot of frustration over what it could<\/em> be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll stick to the same approach to the game, and it will be crucial to find balance during the match,\u201d Spalletti said on Friday when asked about the expected lineup changes in Yildiz\u2019s absence. \u201cWe need to be careful, maintain balance but at the same time play attacking football. We did well against Frosinone, even if we should have sealed the win sooner. I\u2019d be very happy if we could play like that against Parma, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There were some good things to take out of last weekend\u2019s season opener against Frosinone. How many of those things remained good as the game went on are probably up to the person who is making those decisions. Now it\u2019s about taking those good things and building on them \u2014 with or without Yildiz. And for the next few months, it will be without Yildiz because we just can\u2019t have many nice things when it comes to the 2026 version of Juventus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They may not be facing a newly-promoted side like they did last weekend, but they will be hosting a club that wasn\u2019t too far off the relegation zone last season. And one that hasn\u2019t exactly caught fire to start the new campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Parma\u2019s season has started with a win in the Coppa Italia over Serie B side Catania and then dropping their Serie A opener against Cagliari when they recorded all of two shots on goal against an opponent who had one of the worst defenses in the league last year. They\u2019ve obviously seen two of their best players \u2014 goalkeeper Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa) and striker Mateo Pellegrino (Fiorentina) \u2014 leave the club in the last couple of weeks. The lineup that manager Carlos Cuesta \u2014 who is still just 31 years old! \u2014 rolled out there against Cagliari was very much reflective of that, as was their performance that probably left a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But don\u2019t consider Spalletti somebody who is falling for a not-so-impressive start to the season for Parma.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t play against this or that opponent, we play every match as Juventus,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to get into the opposition\u2019s half, because that\u2019s our territory to conquer. We need to get deep and beyond the defensive line. Parma always find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Throw into the fact that Juventus have the third-most wins over Parma out of anybody to ever play in Italy and this is very much another case of Spalletti\u2019s squad being the overwhelming favorite against a provincial side.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That was the case against Frosinone last weekend and it\u2019s the case now this Saturday night. Juventus need to start figuring out how they can handle life without Yildiz for the next few months, and Parma coming to Turin is the first instance of just that. Now all there\u2019s left is to see what happens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It was only a few weeks ago that we were wondering how, once the dust had settled of a frantic month of August, a certain Kenan Yildiz and Kerim Alajbegovi\u0107 would be able to mesh as new teammates and be the playmakers for Juventus\u2019 attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now, though, things are a little different.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yildiz, as we know, will be out until the the final days of October at the earliest. That means, rather than combining with Yildiz in attack, Alajbegovi\u0107 is now being thought of as the one to take Yildiz\u2019s place for the time being.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The catch is that not all of the predicted lineups think that Alajbegovi\u0107 will actually start against Parma. So, in a way, this is maybe a bit of a stretch when it comes to him playing from the opening whistle, but with Yildiz out he\u2019s now becoming one of the players you want<\/em> to see in attack for Juventus right now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n After his DNP-CD against Frosinone in the season opener last weekend, we don\u2019t know if Spalletti is slow-playing Alajbegovi\u0107\u2018s introduction into the starting lineup and the squad as a whole. Like I said, he could be a starter against Parma, or he could be the first option off the bench for Spalletti if he needs a change in attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Either way, this certainly feels like the game in which Alajbegovi\u0107 makes his official Juventus debut. I hope it is. I would like to see, outside of maybe a two-minute Hail Mary in which Juve need a goal in the 86th minute to win it, what Alajbegovi\u0107 can do in his debut and some time to both settle into the game and shake off his likely nerves at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just look at what Spalletti said about the young Bosnian during his pre-match press conference:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAlajbegovi\u0107 is a 19-year-old, he\u2019s got quality and is raring to show off his full potential. He\u2019s been welcomed into the squad and I\u2019m convinced he\u2019ll showcase his skills. He\u2019s got class, a good touch, and when he shoots at goal, he unleashes thunderbolts with both feet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n That sounds like the kind of thing you would say before you\u2019re about to unleash one of your big summer signings and hope that he can fulfill that kind of promise. If that is the case this weekend, then let us see what Kerim has in store for us all because I, for one, am very much looking forward to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When: <\/strong>Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Where:<\/strong> Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Official kickoff time:<\/strong> 8:45 p.m. local time in Italy and across Europe, 7:45 p.m. in the United Kingdom, 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, 1:45 p.m. Central time, 11:45 a.m. Pacific time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Television:<\/strong> Telemundo (United States); TLN (Canada).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Online\/Streaming:<\/strong> Paramount+<\/strong><\/a>, CBS Sports Golazo Network, fuboTV, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (United States); DAZN Canada; fuboTV Canada (Canada); DAZN UK (United Kingdom); DAZN Italia (Italy).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Other live viewing options can be found here<\/strong><\/a>, and as always, you can also follow along with us live and all the stupid things we say on Bluesky<\/strong><\/a>. If you haven\u2019t already, join the community<\/strong><\/a> on Black & White & Read All Over, and join in the discussion below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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