Juventus, Del Piero and Di Canio Break Silence on Vlahovic Snub, recurring omissions from Juventus’ starting XI

Former strikers Alessandro Del Piero and Paolo Di Canio spoke about Dusan Vlahovic’s repeated absences from Juventus’ starting lineup: ‘It’s not his fault,’ said the ex-Lazio star.

In 2025, Vlahovic has started only one match in all competitions, whereas January signing Randal Kolo Muani has established himself as a regular starter at the Allianz Stadium.

The French forward will also make his Champions League knockout playoff debut tonight against PSV in Turin.

“It is right to give value to Kolo Muani because if you sign him, he has to play, but the former Fiorentina player had an extreme and enormous value, whereas today, he is very much in the shadows,” Del Piero told Sky Sport (via Calciomercato.com) before kick-off.

“Everything at Juventus is worth double; perhaps the only thing that isn’t worth double is goals because scoring for them is a duty.

“For everything else, any situation that arises gets significant attention, and the feeling from the numbers, the looks, and the Frenchman’s performances is that the Serbian player is on a downward trajectory. Let’s hope for the best. He now needs to do something.”

Vlahovic did not warm up for Juventus’ 2-1 win against Como on Friday, despite the team’s need for a goal in the second half.

“He is struggling, but it’s not Vlahovic’s fault,” said Di Canio.

“He plays seven or eight minutes, and only in one recent match did he get more playing time. His pride must come through, but this is the worst way to achieve it. Thiago Motta backed up his words with actions. In Como, everyone came on except him when they needed to win the match.”

Football Italia is one of the recognised media in Turin tonight. Follow live updates from the Allianz Stadium on the Live Blog.

Vlahovic has made 19 Serie A appearances for Juventus in 2024-25, scoring eight goals. He is the Old Lady’s leading scorer this season, with 13 goals in 28 games across all competitions.