France will have to do without Pierre Kalulu, but it is Juventus above all who must deal with a new blow. The Bianconeri right-sided defender had been called up again by Zinedine Zidane despite uneven form in recent weeks, and he has had to withdraw from the Bleus after the injury suffered in Florence.
The Diagnosis: About Three Weeks
Yesterday’s tests at J Medical revealed a low-grade tear of the left biceps femoris, with about three weeks out. It is bad news for Spalletti, who loses an important piece just as the season enters an extremely delicate phase. It confirms the reporting on Monday that put the absence at two to three weeks.
Kalulu’s Target: Como on 29 November
The consequences will be felt in the Juventus calendar. Kalulu will certainly miss the Venezia match when the league resumes on 22 November. He will not be considered for the Europa League tie against Omonia either.
The target is set for 29 November, when the match away at Como at the Sinigaglia is on the horizon. Tuttosport says it carries considerable weight in the race for the top positions. The fixture also has an extra dimension given Como’s rise this season and the reported interest of Fàbregas’s side in Çalhanoğlu.
Seventh Place and the Need for Numbers
Juventus are currently seventh and need to rediscover continuity and points to relaunch their ambitions. Turning up at that appointment with as many regular starters as possible becomes a necessity, Tuttosport says, setting aside the anticipated staggered return of the long-term absentees Yıldız, Thuram and Locatelli.
That ties the Kalulu news to the larger recovery timeline. Yıldız said he expects to return in December, with Monza on 14 December the likely date, while Thuram’s return is expected early in 2027 and Locatelli’s in the spring.
The Three Good News Items
The headline promises three pieces of good news alongside the bad. The page’s section headings point to them: a section on Conceição and Nico González, and one titled “Cambiaso, green light.” Beyond those headings, I have not seen the details, so I would not read specifics into the timelines.
The earlier reporting had Conceição and González both targeted for the Venezia match on 22 November, and Çelik has already been back and is now going with Turkey. If those timelines hold, Spalletti’s squad for the post-break run would look notably less depleted than it did against Fiorentina.
