Juventus trust Kenan Yildiz to be among the protagonists of the new era in Turin under highly-rated manager Thiago Motta. The record-time Italian champions have handed the Turkish teen prodigy the coveted No.10 as a token of their belief in his potential to lead the team into a bright future.
Yildiz has yet to score in Serie A this season. Despite this scoring drought, he has tallied two assists in the opening four rounds. However, the 19-year-old excelled on his Champions League debut against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, netting his first-ever goal at Europe’s top table.
It was the ultimate confidence booster for the young gun ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight clash against Napoli. Juventus head into proceedings as marginal favorites amid a four-game unbeaten league start, accompanied by four clean sheets.
But goals have recently been at a premium for Juventus. They’ve failed to find the net in their last two top-flight encounters against Roma and Empoli. Yildiz boasts the quality and creativeness to change that.
Pundit Massimo Mauro believes the Napoli game is a perfect opportunity for the new Juventus talisman to prove his credentials on the biggest stage.
“The ability to provide assists and score goals, but let’s stop there. Kenan, after his goal in the Champions League, must confirm himself against Napoli,” Mauro said, as reported by TMW. “It is from games like these that you understand the caliber of a player.”
Juventus will rely on the home comforts of their Allianz Stadium to help them defy an underwhelming run of three losses from their last five league meetings with Napoli.
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