22 August 2026
Serie A is finally back for our Men's First Team, who travel to take on Frosinone on Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 campaign. Kick-off is fixed for 18:30 CEST on Sunday, 23 August.
Before setting off for Lazio, coach Luciano Spalletti went through his usual Matchday-1 press conference at the Allianz Stadium.
Below is what the boss had to say ahead of Sunday's game.
READY FOR THE OPENER
“The bell has sounded and the Serie A season has already begun. The feeling is good because we’ve worked well, also thanks to the excellent organisation of the entire structure here at Juventus. I want to thank everyone for the great work they’ve done over these last few weeks. Now we have to go out onto the pitch, give our all and have the desire to do well.
“There are a lot of new things this season, firstly the players who can create things and find solutions. There’s always an evolution, but you have to be good at adapting to this constant change. We have to think, reason and go into things in greater depth. I always try to keep myself up to date personally, and I’ll try to do that during the season as well, depending on our commitments.
“All the new arrivals have different characteristics, and we’re progressing in the best possible way compared to the situation we started from. [Kerim] Alajbegovic, for example, is one of those players who gives you a spark, who creates what I call a ‘temporal shock’. He’s good at turning the ideas he has into something on the pitch - he sees it and anticipates what’s going to happen.
“Then there are other players who were already ours but whom I didn’t know, such as Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez. I’ve been impressed by their level, their quality as players and their character. We’ve increased the competition for places within the squad and we’re starting with a lot of confidence.”
SERIE A AS A WHOLE
“There are seven or eight teams in Serie A capable of fighting for the top four places. Last year we finished outside those positions, and we have to show that we’re good enough. Talking about it doesn’t count for much. We have to become a team and find the right balance.
“I say that we’ve improved, but it’ll be the results that tell us how much progress we’ve made. At the starting line, we’re all second or third, but there are also teams that start further back. It’s like when you talk to players who all want to be starters, but there aren’t enough places for everyone. Someone is always left out.
“Now we want to see what level we can reach as a team and in terms of our football. We’ll play to achieve the maximum. We’ll have to win a lot of matches in the league and in the Europa League because everyone - the ownership, the team and the supporters - wants to succeed.”
ON FROSINONE
“First of all, I want to congratulate Frosinone on their return to Serie A and my friend Massimiliano Alvini on the excellent work he’s done. Tomorrow, [Guglielmo] Vicario and [Randal] Kolo Muani will start.
“We’ll try to put a balanced team out on the pitch: individual freedom within a collective balance that must always be maintained as players interchange positions, while allowing them the freedom to combine with each other in every area of the pitch.
“It’s no longer system against system, but behaviour against behaviour.”
