It will be a break of more than 100,000 kilometres, a trip around the world. It will bring tiredness, not deep breaths, at least for those on duty with their national teams. Eleven Juventus players will go. Mancini has called the 1998-born centre-back, Gatti, completing the Bianconeri contingent with the various national sides.
Cabal and Lucumí: The Longest Journey
Those going furthest are Juan Cabal and Jhon Lucumí, who have already left for Colombia to face a round trip between Cali, the central defender’s home city, and Santiago, where they will meet Chile in a sort of two-leg friendly. It is not ideal, Tuttosport says, except for wringing the squad dry.
The happiest of all is Cabal. After regaining a starting shirt with Juventus between the Napoli and Fiorentina matches, he has now got the Tricolor back too. He has not played with the Cafeteros since last March, and before that he had accumulated two appearances in 2024. Going to the other side of the world is not exactly a habit for him, partly because of his many injuries and the internal and external shocks he has faced.
Spalletti’s hope is that it will be a boost of motivation and energy, and of everything positive it can bring.
Ekhator and Çelik: Returns From Injury
The same is hoped for Jeff Ekhator. Like Cabal, the Italian striker had been missing from the Under-21 appointment since last spring. He had scored against Macedonia and missed the qualifiers of the last round, which brought victories against Armenia and Poland. Baldini called him as soon as he could, and Ekhator will find minutes straight away, against France and Belgium. They are tests, but prestigious ones.
A different story awaits Zeki Çelik. He is fresh from his return from injury: in Florence he played only the second half, having come back from a muscular problem. Yalçın’s new Turkey will restart from him, and will do so already in the Nations League against Belgium and France. Tuttosport adds simply: “Good luck.”
The Eleven
The players leaving are Vicario, Gatti, Ekhator, Alajbegović, Cabal, Lucumí, Çelik, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Sarr and Zhegrova, as listed in Monday’s reporting. The headline also names Gatti and Vicario as the “luckiest,” presumably because their commitments are closer to home, but I have not seen the detail of that section.
For Juventus, the practical effect is two-sided. A smaller group will be at the Continassa to train with Spalletti, including those recovering, but the eleven who travel risk returning tired and, in some cases, with injuries. With Kalulu already ruled out of the France squad with a hamstring problem, the club will watch its internationals closely. The first fixture after the break is Venezia at home on 22 November.
