Celik and Nico Gonzalez injuries add to Juventus absences before Lecce
Juventus will travel to Lecce without Zeki Celik and Nico Gonzalez after both players picked up muscle injuries in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League draw with Rennes, adding two more names to an already long absence list for Luciano Spalletti.
The club confirmed the diagnoses in an official medical update on Friday, October 23. Both players had felt muscle discomfort after the Rennes match and went for tests at J|medical that morning.
What the Juventus medical update says
According to the club, Celik has a low-grade injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg, while Nico Gonzalez has a low-grade injury to the soleus muscle in his right calf. Juventus said both players have already started their rehabilitation programmes, but the statement did not give a return date for either of them.
The timing is frustrating for Celik in particular. The Turkish full-back opened the scoring against Rennes in the fifth minute, converting a pass from Nick Woltemade, before being taken off at half-time. You can read how the rest of that night unfolded in our report on the Rennes draw.
How long could Celik and Nico Gonzalez be out?
Juventus have not put a timeframe on either recovery, so any estimate comes from the Italian press. Virgilio Sport reports that both players are expected to be out for around 20 days and should only return after the November international break, with the home game against Venezia on November 22 named as the first realistic target.
If that estimate holds, the pair would miss the trip to Lecce, the meeting with Genoa, the home game against Napoli, the Europa League visit to AZ Alkmaar and the match with Fiorentina. That is a demanding run to face with a thinner squad, and it comes at a point when Juventus are trying to recover from the 3-0 home defeat by Lazio.
A long absence list before Lecce
Celik and Nico Gonzalez join Kenan Yildiz, Manuel Locatelli, Khéphren Thuram and Francisco Conceicao on the sidelines, according to Tuttosport. Conceicao is already in rehabilitation after the shoulder problem he picked up against Lazio, as covered in our Francisco Conceicao injury update.
Tuttosport’s expected line-up has Spalletti sticking with a 3-5-2, with Pierre Kalulu and Andrea Cambiaso on the flanks and Woltemade partnering Randal Kolo Muani in attack. The match at the Via del Mare kicks off at 18:00 Italian time on Sunday, October 25, with Maresca as referee.
No pre-match press conference from Spalletti
Supporters will also have to wait until matchday to hear from the coach. Tuttosport reports that Spalletti, in agreement with the club, will not hold his usual press conference on the eve of the Lecce game. The paper links the decision to the packed schedule after the Europa League fixture, and Virgilio Sport notes that Spalletti has taken the same approach before during congested spells, with no controversy behind the choice.
The squeeze on the squad is now the bigger story. With two more first-team players ruled out and the injury list still growing, Spalletti will need his remaining options to carry the load through a busy stretch of Serie A and European fixtures before the international break.
Sources: Juventus FC, Tuttosport, Virgilio Sport
