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Spalletti confident Alajbegovic and Kolo Muani will shine at Juventus

22h09 CEST

08/08/2026

Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti was impressed by Kerim Alajbegovic and Randal Kolo Muani against Inter, but added they are still not match fit just yet. 

New signings Alajbegovic and Kolo Muani, the latter making his second debut for Juventus, were brought on at half-time during the Bianconeri's 2-1 defeat to Serie A rivals Inter on Saturday. 

Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf gave Cristian Chivu's side a comfortable two-goal lead, but Francisco Conceicao's 85th-minute strike made things interesting at Optus Stadium. 

Juventus almost snatched a draw in the closing stages, with Alajbegovic thwarted when one-on-one with Josep Martinez before Kolo Muani saw appeals for a penalty after being fouled by Leonardo Bovio waved away in stoppage time. 

Despite only coming on at the break, the pair showed promising signs of what Juventus can expect from them. Kolo Muani finished with team-high totals for duels (seven), aerial duels won (two) and touches in the opposition box (seven). 

Alajbegovic, meanwhile, created one chance, had one shot, and looked dangerous on the counter-attack when Juventus were pushing for an equaliser late in the contest. 

"I evaluated carefully before they were signed, as I wanted to get a good look at them first," Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

"Alajbegovic had already been tracked by [director Ricky] Massara beforehand, so that's reassuring.

"They both need to get into match shape, as they've only been with us for three days, so perhaps I rushed it by asking them to play an entire half."

Juventus have had a strong pre-season thus far, with this their only defeat so far. They have beaten Chelsea, Nice and Standard Liege as well as drawing 0-0 with Basel. 

They are preparing for their first full campaign under Spalletti after the Italian guided them to a sixth-place finish in Serie A last term, enough to qualify for the Europa League.

It was the second time they had finished outside the top four in the last four seasons, having finished in fourth place or higher in 11 consecutive campaigns prior to that.

Chivu said after their encounter that Juventus looked strong and was confident they would have a good season, though Spalletti acknowledged that there is a big gap in quality when comparing his team to the Scudetto holders. 

"These are strong players at a high level, so we must try to figure out how to find the right balance and become a team," Spalletti added. 

"Inter showed in the first half that they were more of a team than us. It is a process that we simply need to go through; we have to take steps forward."

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