Koopmeiners Returns for Juventus' Serie A Clash with Parma; Motta Addresses Defensive Concerns

Juventus manager Thiago Motta has announced that midfielder Teun Koopmeiners will return to the squad for their upcoming Serie A match against Parma on Wednesday. Koopmeiners, who transferred to Juventus from Atalanta during the summer, has been absent for the past three games due to a rib injury sustained in a 1-1 tie with Cagliari earlier this month.

Before his injury, the Dutch international contributed one assist in a victory over Genoa, having played seven times across all competitions for Juventus. Koopmeiners' comeback is a significant lift for Motta, who noted that Juventus will still be without the services of Gleison Bremer, Arek Milik, and Douglas Luiz due to injuries. "Gleison, Douglas, Nico, and Arek will not be available, but we are getting Koop back. We need to determine if he can start from the beginning or if he'll join us later in the match," Motta informed the press. Juventus is preparing for the game against Parma following a dramatic 4-4 draw with Inter in the Derby d'Italia over the weekend. Kenan Yildiz scored two second-half goals at the San Siro, securing a point for Juventus, who are still trailing league leaders Napoli by five points in Serie A. Motta expressed satisfaction with his team's performance against Inter but criticized their defensive mistakes, particularly conceding two penalties that were converted by Piotr Zielinski. "It was a commendable display at San Siro, and we could have won," Motta commented. "However, that's history now. Current opinions are not as significant as the next match, which is always the most crucial one," Motta added. "Definitely, we need to improve on penalties. We must always finish with a full team and avoid conceding penalties. I always emphasize that the next game is the most important one. "I value everyone's viewpoints, but as a coach, my stance is that we must learn to handle situations where our opponents outperform us." Juventus is optimistic about extending Motta's unbeaten league record against Parma, who have failed to secure a win in their last seven Serie A games. The Turin-based club has historically dominated against Parma, remaining unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 Serie A encounters (Winning 10 and drawing 3). Additionally, Juventus has won eight of their last nine midweek matches in Italy's top division (Losing only 1), averaging 2.2 goals per game over that period. On the other hand, Parma has not claimed victory in their last 18 Serie A away games (Drawing 8 and Losing 10), and they have only once endured a longer winless away streak in the competition, from May 2007 to September 2009 (23 games).