There is no limit, it seems, to the misfortune visiting Juventus this season. Twenty-four hours after his assured debut in the Europa League victory over NEC Nijmegen — during which he produced the assist for González’s opening goal — Kamil Grabara has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his left knee during Saturday’s training session at the Continassa. Surgery is almost certain. His season is over before it has truly started.
The Diagnosis — Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Surgery Imminent
The medical verdict is among the most severe a footballer can receive. An anterior cruciate ligament rupture typically requires six to nine months of rehabilitation following the surgical procedure — meaning Grabara, who arrived from Wolfsburg on a loan with a purchase option of €11.5 million as recently as August, will not return to competitive football until the second half of 2027 at the absolute earliest. He has also been forced to withdraw from the Polish national team squad for the Nations League fixtures during the upcoming break.
Cambiaso Also Misses Atalanta
The same Saturday morning training session that produced the Grabara injury also confirmed that Andrea Cambiaso will not be available for Sunday’s Atalanta match. The Italian full-back’s ankle — which has been causing problems since the sprain sustained against Parma in matchday two — has not responded sufficiently to treatment to allow him to be risked against one of Serie A’s most physically demanding opponents. His participation in the Atalanta fixture had been the subject of an optimistic assessment in the 48 hours following the NEC match. That optimism has not been borne out.
A Return to the Free Agent Market — Now Almost Unavoidable
The most immediate institutional consequence of Grabara’s injury is clear and urgent. Juventus now have only one goalkeeper available for competitive football: Guglielmo Vicario. Carlo Pinsoglio, the squad’s third goalkeeper, provides administrative coverage — but his role is the same as it has always been, a professional presence rather than a genuine competitive backup.
With Perin at Palermo and Di Gregorio at Bournemouth — both departed in the summer’s goalkeeping revolution — the club finds itself in a position it could not have anticipated when Grabara was completing his debut on Thursday evening. A return to the free agent market for a Vicario backup has moved from an unlikely scenario to an almost unavoidable one.
The Injury List — a Season Defined by Misfortune
The roll call of serious injuries since the first day of pre-season continues to grow. Yıldız: foot surgery, three months. Thuram: knee surgery, returns 2027. Locatelli: knee surgery, at least five months. And now Grabara: cruciate ligament rupture, season ended. Four significant long-term absences in a squad that was already thin, already stretched, already navigating one of the most demanding opening fixture schedules in recent memory. The international break, when it arrives on Monday morning, will feel less like a rest and more like an opportunity to conduct emergency planning for a season that has already demanded far more than any pre-season assessment could have predicted.
