Not certain. Not automatic. But if it does come to a two-striker system — an idea that continues to resist in a corner of Spalletti’s planning — then someone at Juventus will have to make way. And most roads, if not all of them, point Francisco Conceição in the direction of the bench. A clarification: do not read this as punishment for what happened on Thursday evening in Vigo. There is no case, as Conceição himself explained — running to repair a misunderstanding that turned out to be enormous in the optics but relatively minor in substance. Spalletti has accepted it. He will not fine him. He has moved on quickly, especially after reassurances about the actual behaviour reached him from both the player and the club’s own staff.
The Conceição Incident Formally Closed — “A Huge Misunderstanding”
The chapter is shut. Spalletti addressed the residual uncertainty in Thursday’s post-match on Sky with characteristic precision — “if he did something, we’ll talk about it; my staff tell me he didn’t” — and the confirmation has now arrived. Conceição’s bench-punching was directed at himself and the quality of his own performance, not at the decision to substitute him. The manager accepted the explanation. The player is not in trouble. He is, however, likely to begin on the bench against Lazio regardless — for tactical reasons relating to the two-striker system, not disciplinary ones.
Boga Returns to Full Group Training — Back for the First Time Since September
The major positive fitness news of the Saturday morning session: Jérémie Boga has completed a full training session with the group. The Ivorian winger — absent since the left thigh semimembranosus lesion that has kept him out since late August — is back, and the timing is paradoxically perfect. His return arrives at the precise moment when the wide forward positions are in flux, with Conceição’s form inconsistent, Zhegrova finding his way back after the summer saga, and Alajbegović still building his confidence in an unfamiliar environment. Boga represents something specific: the running, the direct dribbling, the aggression in the final quarter of the pitch — the venom Spalletti has been demanding since the summer. He will not start against Lazio — bench is the realistic expectation — but his availability is itself a message.
Çelik Returns to Claim a Starting Place
Alongside Boga in full training: Zeki Çelik, who was nursing the back problem that threatened his involvement at Celta Vigo. The Turkish wing-back, whose every-minute consistency since the start of the season has been one of the squad’s structural assets, is back and expected to reclaim his starting position against Lazio. The Çelik-Cambiaso rotation — one in Serie A, one in Europa — has been the model across the tour de force, and Saturday against Lazio is a Çelik fixture by that logic.
The Two Starting Positions That Are Not in Doubt — González and Koopmeiners’ Absence
The positive anchor of the attack remains González — Spalletti has been categorical that he cannot restart without the Argentine, who continues to be the most consistent offensive performer of the season in terms of contribution across all phases. He starts, likely in support of the two strikers or alongside Alajbegović on the opposite flank.
And Koopmeiners: no space. The article does not soften the assessment. Despite his continued attempts to find a way into the team, and the manager’s defence of him on Thursday (“he must still improve”), this is not the moment and not the occasion. A decisive change or more time — but neither is available against Lazio this weekend. The three-month trial clock continues. The January decision draws closer.
