Juventus vs AS Roma: Spalletti prepares a striker who has been forgotten

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti. (X/@juventusfc)

JAKARTA - Juventus hopes to maximize the opportunity to get three points when hosting AS Roma in a big match in the Italian Serie A at the Allianz Stadium, Sunday, December 21, 2025 WIB. Coach Luciano Spalletti also prepared a striker who has long been forgotten.

Spalletti did not seem to be bothered when striker Dusan Vlahovic suffered a groin muscle injury that forced him to rest for several months.

Spalletti can still count on forward Jonathan David even though he hasn't shown his best performance since being recruited from Lille at the start of this season.

But the coach who led Napoli to the Scudetto still has a secret weapon he can rely on.

Yes, striker Arkadiusz Milik who has been absent for a long time finally returned to play. Milik's recovery was just in time. When Juve lost Vlahovic, Milik was already able to play.

"Milik will appear in this match," Spalletti said, as quoted by Football Italia.

Milik is back in training with the first team ahead of the match against Roma. Previously, he was still training with the reserves.

The 31-year-old striker is returning to the arena after 550 days of recovery from a severe knee ligament injury he suffered in June 2024.

Milik last played for the Bianconeri in the 2023/2024 season when they won 2-0 over Monza. This means the Polish national team striker must be absent for 18 months.

At the national team, Milik last played in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Andorra in June 2023. At that time, Poland won 1-0. However, the injury he suffered made this former Napoli striker absent from the European Cup.

When starting a new season, Juve was also more busy looking for a new striker because they still had a long wait for Milik to recover.

In fact, he was forgotten when La Vecchia Signora finally managed to sign David. It's just that the Canadian national team striker's performance hasn't met expectations.

Spalletti hopes Milik can support David when he is brought down against Roma. "He looked happy like a young player who got the chance to play for the first time. He is a player who has high enthusiasm and knows his role very well," said Spalletti.

"His physical and technical condition is also very good. So, he can join us," said the former Italian national team coach.

Juve is aiming for a victory to open the opportunity to enter the Champions League zone as well as reducing the points gap with Roma. Currently, Juve is still stuck in fifth place with 26 points. Four points behind Roma who occupy fourth place.

On the other hand, Gian Piero Gasperini's team is also aiming for three points even though they have to visit Juve's headquarters. If they win, the Giallorossi will heat up the competition for the top of the standings.

Even though they can equal Inter Milan's points at the top, Juve can't move it because they are still behind in the goal difference.