(Reuters) Manager Thiago Motta announced on Tuesday that Teun Koopmeiners, a midfielder for Juventus, has recovered from a rib fracture and is fit to play against Parma at home in Serie A midweek.
In August, the 26-year-old Dutch international moved from Atalanta to Juventus for an estimated 54.7 million euros ($58.95 million).
Prior to suffering a rib fracture in their game against Cagliari earlier this month, Koopmeiners made seven appearances for the Turin club.
With midfielder Douglas Luiz, forward Arek Milik, and defender Gleison Bremer still out, Motta’s team has been severely impacted by injuries. Due to a muscle ailment, winger Nico Gonzalez is also out.
“We will get Koop back, but we won’t have Gleison, Douglas, Nico, or Arek. Motta told reporters, “We’ll see if he can start from the first minute or be with us during the game.”
Parma’s solitary win this season came against AC Milan at home in August, and they are now on a seven-game losing skid in Serie A. With eight points from nine games, they are now ranked 17th in the standings.
After a thrilling 4–4 tie at Inter Milan, Juventus is currently in third place with 17 points. They are five points behind league leaders Napoli and one point behind Inter.
Previously goalless in the league, Motta’s team received recognition for their offensive ability against Inter. But when his team let up two penalties, both of which were converted by Piotr Zielinski of Inter, Motta underlined the need for development.
“It was a good performance at San Siro but we could have won, but that’s now in the past, everything else is just people’s opinions and doesn’t count much at this moment in time,” Motta stated.
“Penalties are definitely something that can be improved. In order to avoid penalties, we must always finish with eleven men.
“The next game is the most crucial, I always say. As a coach, I appreciate everyone’s viewpoints, but I believe that we must learn to deal with situations in which others perform better than we do.
