Dusan Vlahovic’s devastating “high-grade” adductor strain suffered in the recent 2-1 home victory against Cagliari was the last thing Juventus needed after a disappointing start to the season. The Bianconeri were already struggling for goals this season, with their haul of just 17 the second lowest in the entirety of Serie A’s top seven, behind fourth-placed Roma. So, an injury to their top scorer was, without question, the last thing that anyone in Turin needed.
Juve have already stumbled out of the gate in 2025/26. They sit down in seventh in the Italian top flight, five points behind table-toppers Milan, and the dream of a first Scudetto since 2020 has seemingly already faded. Online betting sites certainly seem to agree. The latest Serie A odds from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently make Luciano Spalletti’s men a distant 20/1 shot to claim the title this season, and those odds have recently drifted further following news of the injury to their Serbian hitman.
The good news is that Vlahovic recently underwent surgery on his injury, and he is expected to be restored to the first team fold at some point in the new year, with early March currently targeted for his return. Now, however, with the transfer window not due to open for another month, the pressure is on for Juventus’ attackers to deliver the goods in their top scorer’s absence. So, which players specifically need to step up to the plate? Let’s take a look.
Striker Jonathan David was seen as quite the coup when he arrived from Lille in the summer on a free transfer. The Canadian netted 109 goals in just 232 games throughout his five years in Ligue 1, helping The Mastiffs shockingly beat Paris Saint-Germain to the title in 2021. A slew of Europe’s biggest names were sniffing around the prolific attacker’s signature in the summer, but it was the Bianconeri who eventually won the race; however, they may well wish they hadn’t had after a slow start to life in Turin.
David was initially brought in to be the starting striker at Allianz Stadium, but he has netted just twice since making the move. That poor return cost him his place in the starting lineup, with Vlahovic returning and managing a better strike rate. However, with the Serbian now sidelined, the onus falls back on David to fire the goals necessary to propel the Bianconeri back into contention. If he cannot do that, not only are Juventus in deep trouble, but the Canadian could well find himself on his way out of Turin before his Juve career even has a chance to get going.
Another man who was brought to Turin in the summer in a bid to provide additional firepower was Loïs Openda. The Belgian striker was signed on loan from RB Leipzig, with Juve holding a €40m option to buy. However, on current form, that option won’t be triggered any time soon.
The 25-year-old has started just five games for the Bianconeri this season and hasn’t scored a single domestic goal. He did manage to bag his first goal in the famous black and white on the European stage in the recent 3-2 victory against Bodø/Glimt, but his woes in Italy remain there for all to see. In fact, across Juve’s last three Serie A games, Openda has featured for a combined total of just 13 minutes.
With Vlahovic now sidelined, further opportunities will surely be coming the Belgian’s way, especially if David cannot find the back of the net with enough regularity. It becomes crucial both for the player and for the Bianconeri that Openda does manage to find a new lease of life and take any opportunities that come his way. If he doesn’t, not only will Juve slip further down the table, but the striker will be on his way back to Leipzig with his tail tucked between his legs and with his stock in the football world dropping dramatically.
Teun Koopmeiners was Juventus’ big hope two years ago, signing for a whopping €58.4m from fellow Italian outfit Atalanta as the Bianconeri looked to find some sorely lacking creativity. And while that did come in his maiden campaign in Turin, the ongoing 2025/26 season has been somewhat of a disaster for the Dutch attacking midfielder.
The 27-year-old hadn’t managed a single goal or assist so far this term, despite featuring in all but one of Juve’s games. According to WhoScored, Koopmeiners has a passing accuracy of over 91%, but far too often, those passes have gone sideways and backwards, as opposed to into dangerous areas. As a result, the Bianconeri look toothless and have struggled to create any real opportunities of note in the vast majority of their games.
If David and Openda are to deliver goals in Vlahovic’s absence, they need a primary creator feeding them the ball at every given opportunity. Koopmeiners is the man for the job, but now he needs to actually deliver.
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