Carnevali: Juventus built a competitive squad, pleasing to see Sassuolo again

Juventus director Giovanni Carnevali acknowledged the emotional aspect of returning to his former club, Sassuolo, as an opponent. He stated that Juventus has assembled a competitive squad capable of overcoming injury setbacks.

Carnevali, who spent 13 years at Sassuolo before joining Juventus this summer, shared his sentiments ahead of the match at the Mapei Stadium.

"It's lovely, but you don't forget 13 years easily," Carnevali told DAZN Italia. "It's nice to see friends and colleagues. It wasn't just a sporting experience here, so it’s pleasing to see them all again."

Responding to a lighthearted comment from coach Luciano Spalletti about former players scoring against their old teams, Carnevali smiled, "The coach is very funny. What we need is a lineup with players who can score goals. We know it is a tough game, as Sassuolo have a lot of talent, so we need to be concentrated and ready to bring home the result."

Juventus faced challenges, including a last-minute equalizer against Milan and injuries to Manuel Locatelli and Jeremie Boga. These add to existing concerns for Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiaso, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator, and Juan Cabal.

"We tried to build a team that is competitive, taking into account all the difficulties we had recently," Carnevali explained. "It is a big squad, there are many games to be played, and the coach knows how to use the players well."

The team's injury situation has led to opportunities for players like Teun Koopmeiners and a more central role for Nico Gonzalez in the attack, alongside Francisco Conceicao, Kerim Alajbegovic, and Randal Kolo Muani.

Juventus's starting lineup notably features no Italian outfield players in Serie A for the first time. Carnevali addressed the team's transfer decisions, stating, "It wasn’t just time, there are some situations where we reflected on the quality of these players. I’ve only been at Juventus for three months, and I think we did the best we could, so we’re satisfied with what we managed to do."