Tomorrow back on the pitch — and farewell to the first international break of the season. A break that took a strange turn, between fresh injuries and new anxieties. One that can now, however, take the right direction — with some problems absorbed and some breathing room recovered. The group returns to the Continassa tomorrow, and with it a meaningful portion of the squad that has been scattered across national team fixtures. Six nationalists are potentially back in Spalletti’s hands. That is, in the context of a squad that has spent three weeks navigating a crisis of extraordinary severity, not a small thing.
The Six Who Return — and the Conceição Caution
The six returning internationals are: Koopmeiners, fresh from his goal against Serbia; Douglas Luiz, back from Brazil after two more performances that confirm his renaissance; Woltemade, who played in Germany’s draw in Greece; Sarr, whose Senegal played against the Comoros; Zhegrova, who contributed 81 minutes in Kosovo’s 1-1 draw with Austria; and Conceição. The Portuguese winger is the one subject to the most specific attention on his return: he started Sunday’s Portugal-Norway match — a clear signal that the left thigh problem which had alarmed Juventus during the break has been substantially resolved — but further checks will be carried out at the Continassa to rule out any residual concerns, particularly with a run of nine matches ahead in the space of less than a month.
Nine Matches Before Florence on 8 November — the Tour de Force in Full
The competitive landscape from the Cagliari fixture on Sunday stretches to Fiorentina away on 8 November — nine matches in just under a month that represent the most demanding consecutive fixture sequence of the season. A critical portion of the campaign, beginning in Sardinia, in which every dropped point carries disproportionate weight. And a sequence to be navigated with Yıldız, Thuram, and Locatelli all unavailable from the first day to the last.
The Injury Timeline Updated — Yıldız Targeting December, Cabal the Closest
The revised timeline that emerges from Tuttosport’s reporting is the most concrete and specific picture of the recovery programme available. Kenan Yıldız — now confirmed as targeting December rather than November — will be the first of the long-term absentees to return. His rehabilitation is proceeding according to programme. The November international break target, which had been the optimistic estimate, appears to have been quietly pushed back as the foot’s healing requires additional time.
Khéphren Thuram is targeting early 2027, with no change to the timeline established after his knee chondroplasty in Lyon. Manuel Locatelli, whose meniscus suture may prove the most persistent of all the injuries, could represent the spring gift — deep into 2027 before the captain returns.
The two players closest to providing genuine short-term relief are Jérémie Boga — targeting a return before the end of October — and Jeff Ekhator, who has returned to training with the ball and whose progress will be evaluated day by day. Neither is guaranteed for the immediate fixtures. Both are providing encouragement.
And then there is Juan Cabal — who may be the first of the entire treatment room’s inhabitants to step back onto a competitive pitch. If not at Cagliari on Sunday, the Europa League second matchday away at Celta Vigo on 15 October could see him claim a first squad call-up of the season. The grip of the treatment room is loosening. The competition, with its nine-match gauntlet, begins in four days.
