Danilo pushing for starting role vs PSV – Motta has a selection dilemma

Club News

September 16, 2024 - 7:00 pm

Juventus coach Thiago Motta could finally decide to make use of his club captain Danilo on Tuesday evening.

The Bianconeri will begin their Champions League campaign by hosting PSV Eindhoven at the Allianz Stadium.

According to Sky Sport Italia via JuventusNews24, this could be the right opportunity for Danilo to earn his first start of the season.

The 33-year-old has been a stalwart for the club at the back over the past few years, but lost his automatic starting berth following Motta’s arrival.

The skipper only made a single appearance in the first four Serie A rounds of the season, earning just five minutes on the pitch.

The young Nicolo Savona occupied the right-back slot on several occasions, while Pierre Kalulu made his full debut in this role on Saturday against Empoli

Nevertheless, the Champions League is a whole different ball game. Therefore, Motta could decide to rely on Danilo who is the only Juventus player with massive experience in the competition.

But while the Brazilian defender is pushing for a starting role, Motta is left with a selection headache. After all, Kalulu did well on the weekend, so the coach would also like to give continuity to the Milan loanee.

So it remains to be seen if Motta will keep the backline intact by trusting Kalulu once again, or decide to field Danilo from the start.