It’s a game we will likely be playing a lot over the next few months, but it’s one that takes on much more of a pressing decision in the short term. It’s about finding an answer to the question of who takes Dusan Vlahovic’s starting spot now that the Serbian striker has undergone surgery for his adductor injury and will like be out for the next four months.
Considering it doesn’t appear Juve manager Luciano Spalletti will be doing anything too drastic when it comes to his starting lineup, that means
the two main options to replace Vlahovic are the expected ones.
Which one has an advantage? It appears to be the one who grew up across the Atlantic.
According to ilBianconero on Friday, it is the same man who stepped into the starting lineup for Tuesday’s Coppa Italia Round of 16 tie against Udinese that is the favorite to start up front when Juventus make the trip to Naples this weekend to face defending champions Napoli. David has the edge over Loïs Openda, who has previously started in Vlahovic’s play as well, with Spalletti seemingly leaning toward sticking with a 3-4-2-1 formation as a result of the injuries both in attack as well as in defense heading into such a big domestic fixture.
David is coming off one of his best performances in a Juventus shirt in the win over Udinese that saw the Bianconeri advance to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals where they will face Atalanta in February. He may not have officially scored a goal, but he had one goal that originally looked to be his ruled an own goal and a second chalked off thanks to a VAR review that may have been a somewhat questionable decision. Combine that with David’s goal against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League nearly two weeks ago, and this feels like the first time all season the Canadian striker is building some positive momentum when it comes to his form.
Openda, of course, also scored in Juve’s comeback win over Bodø/Glimt last month, finally breaking his duck since moving to Turin at the end of the summer transfer window. The same feeling about his form potentially improving might not be the same as it is when compared to David, but the fact that he’s no longer sitting on a zero when it comes to goals scored is hopefully a mental hurdle he no longer has to overcome.
