Juventus head coach Thiago Motta has backed midfielder Douglas Luiz to play a key role in his side's return to action against Fiorentina on Sunday.
Luiz has had a difficult start to his life in Turin. He made just 11 appearances in all competitions after suffering a muscle problem following his move from Aston Villa.
The Brazilian, along with Teun Koopmeiners, was the big signing for Juventus ahead of the Serie A season, with both players paying for a fee reportedly worth more than €50 million.
Motta has struggled with injuries this season, with Juventus finishing sixth in Serie A, nine points behind leaders Atalanta, despite not losing a league match all season (W7 D10).
But the Juventus boss was able to provide a positive update on his squad before welcoming Fiorentina to the Allianz Stadium.
“We have restored Douglas Luiz, Nico (Gonzalez) will be available and we have also restored Danilo and (Teun) Koopmeiners,” Motta said.
“We still have to wait for (Jonas) Rouhi, (Timothy) Weah and (Arkadiusz) Milik.”
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“I have great hope and belief in him,” Motta added to Luiz. “He's been out for a long time.
“He certainly doesn't have the physical level of some of his teammates. As a midfielder he can do everything.
“In a previous team they played with two in defense. He has shown that he is a complete midfielder, of a high level. Continuity also applies to him.”
“He must maintain this trend to reach an excellent level and be with the team from now on.”
Juventus returned to victory in their final Serie A match, beating bottom club Monza 2–1 after a run of four consecutive draws, which was the story of their season.
In 2024 they have drawn twenty league games. In the history of Serie A, only Perugia has had more final level matches in one calendar year (22) in 1979.
But they will be confident they can end their year on a high given their recent record against Sunday's opponents.
Juventus have won each of their last three league games against Fiorentina, while also winning 12 of their last 13 home games in Serie A against them.
Since the start of the last decade, only Roma (14 against Udinese) and Fiorentina themselves (13 against Udinese) have managed to record more home wins against a single opponent in the league.
With the teams level on points heading into the match, Motta recognized the task ahead of his players.
“(Fiorentina) has an excellent coach who is very well prepared and has always shown that he has done a great job,” Motta said.
“They have players of excellent quality and, above all, good preparation. They know how to play football and are very dangerous on the counter-attack.
“We have to play the right and balanced game.”
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