How Juventus plan to manage Yildiz after early substitution in 1-0 Atalanta victory
Kenan Yildiz was brought off shy of the hour mark during Juventus’s 1-0 victory over Atalanta in Serie A over the weekend, but reports on Monday indicate that the Bianconeri plan to have the Turkish talent available for the remaining six league games of the season despite recurring pain in his knee.
Where Juventus stand with Yildiz and his knee pain
Juventus moved back into fourth place in Serie A this weekend thanks to their 1-0 win away against Atalanta, while Como, who had been in fourth at the start of the weekend, fell to a 4-3 defeat at home against league leaders Inter.
Yildiz lined up as a starter in Juve’s attacking trident along with Francisco Conceicao and Jeremie Boga against Atalanta, but was replaced by the out-of-favour Jonathan David after just 58 minutes.
According to reports from Tuttosport, Yildiz has been struggling with a slight inflammation and a bit of pain in his knee for a little while leading up to the Atalanta game. His left knee was visibly strapped up for the match in Bergamo on Saturday.
There had been concerns that he might not have been available to face La Dea, but the player himself reportedly felt good to go and gave his full availability to head coach Luciano Spalletti.
Tuttosport claims that the knee issue is not particularly serious, and that Yildiz is not expected to go under any type of surgical intervention. Instead, he will be closely monitored and managed with recovery and rehabilitation work with the hope that he will be available for Juve’s remaining six matches of the 2025-26 season.
Given that Juventus are also without Dusan Vlahovic for the run-in and the fact that Yildiz has only missed two matches across all competitions all season, his availability is increasingly important for the Old Lady and their hopes of securing a top four finish.