The Juventus Lineup That Should Start Against Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final
By Dom Smith
Juventus squirmed through to the Coppa Italia final on Friday night despite Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty, a 0-0 draw against Milan taking them through on away goals.
They'll be facing a mercurial Napoli side in Wednesday night's clash, as they look to regain their Italian Cup crown after ending a four-year run of dominance last season.
Against a Napoli side shorn of their first-choice goalkeeper through suspension, this is how Juve could (should?) line up.
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Gianluigi Buffon (GK) – Wojciech Szczęsny has been the club's undisputed number one this season, but 42-year-old Buffon has starred in the Coppa Italia – and isn't going to get dropped now. The irrepressible veteran made a number of crucial saves on Friday night, but will be hoping that the men in front of him can give him a quiet night.
Danilo (RB) – It's been another tough season in Turin for the right-back, but Sarri is likely to pick him ahead of Mattia De Sciglio after he started the draw against Milan that got Juve to the final.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – A titan of Italian defending who has turned out for both Inter and AC Milan, Bonucci is remembered most for his stunning composure and quality at the back for Juventus, where he has played for nine of the last ten seasons. A sure-fire starter.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) – De Ligt has played a lot of football for Juventus in his first season since leaving Ajax, but hasn't always impressed in the same way he did while in Amsterdam. Giorgio Chiellini's ACL injury has had one silver lining though – it's allowed the Dutchman to settle into his role and Sarri's system, improving all the time.
Alex Sandro (LB) – The Brazilian has been Juventus' go-to left-back ever since joining the club from Porto five season ago. This term has seen him play a big role in the club's Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia campaigns. Trustworthy.
Midfielders
Rodrigo Bentancur (RCM) – Still only 22 years old, the Uruguayan midfielder has shown himself to be adaptable and dependable during his three years with the Italian giants – the kind of central midfield player that Maurizio Sarri requires in order to implement his notorious Sarriball.
Miralem Pjanić (CDM) – Chelsea and Barcelona have both registered interest in Pjanić recently, partly because the Bosnian has been a very good player for some time and, erm, partly because he's not been as good this season, so Juve are willing to let him go. He's got one last charge until the end of the season to prove himself.
Blaise Matuidi (LCM) – Coming into the twilight of his career, Matuidi still plays a major role for Juventus, largely now in support of the men around him. He's a gamer, and he'll start the final
Forwards
Douglas Costa (RW) – Fast (to a scary degree) and skilful, Costa is very much the third fiddle in this front three. Not a bad third fiddle to have though.
Paulo Dybala (ST) – The presence of Cristiano Ronaldo coming in from the left, more on which in a second, leaves Dybala to drift a little deeper and control the front line in a false nine role. He's been dynamite this season after a sub-par 2018/19 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo (LW) – The man they're calling Serie A's Andy Johnson, Ronaldo has scored eight of his 23 domestic goals from the spot this season...but banged one off the post in the semi final. Whether it's ring-rust or just an off night, Juve will need him to get back to scoring ways from 12 yards.