Juventus picked up another scary injury concern against Cagliari as Teun Koopmeiners ‘requested’ to be taken off at halftime. According to DAZN via Calciomercato, the Netherlands international felt pain in his ribs and had to stay in the dressing room during the break.
At first, it looked like another tactical choice from Thiago Motta. He subbed off Dusan Vlahovic at halftime during a 0-0 draw against Napoli in September. But this was different. Koopmeiners struggled in the first half against Cagliari as Juventus grabbed a first-half lead through another penalty converted by Vlahovic.
Nicolo Fagioli took Koopmeiners’ place at the start of the second half.
The former Atalanta playmaker wasn’t 100% fit for today after having problems during the midweek UEFA Champions League clash against RB Leipzig. However, he has already become crucial for Juventus, and Motta decided to start him against Cagliari despite his earlier fitness issues.
That decision could now backfire on the Dutch national team. The 26-year-old may have to skip the upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures to accelerate his recovery. With a two-week hiatus on the horizon, the Juventus midfielder will have enough time to prepare for Lazio’s visit to the Allianz Stadium on October 19.
Koopmeiners’ injury scare comes days after Juventus lost defensive cornerstone Gleison Bremer to a long-term knee problem in Germany. The Brazilian center-back faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after being diagnosed with an ACL tear. On the bright side, the Dutchman’s injury isn’t as bad as Bremer’s.
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