Vlahovic Out, Milik Back: Juventus Squad Surprise as Top-Four Chase Heats Up

Picture this: Juventus are lurking just outside the Serie A top four, on 50 points after 28 games, one point off the pace but nursing a two-place deficit. With 10 matches left, every point counts like gold dust. Saturday's trip to Udinese (19:45 GMT) could be massive, especially with eyes glued to Sunday's Como vs Roma clash (17:00 GMT) that might shake up the table.

Luciano Spalletti's lads thrashed Pisa 4-0 recently, shaking off a rough patch that saw them dumped from the Champions League and Coppa Italia. But here's the kicker: star striker Dusan Vlahovic is sidelined despite training all week post-adductor surgery. The Serbian's been out three months, and he's confirmed absent for Udinese.

Rare Boost: Milik Returns to Juventus Fold

No Vlahovic? No drama – enter Arkadiusz Milik, the Polish forward who's been a ghost this season. At 32, he's only been named in squads twice before (Roma and Pisa in December, no minutes), then missed 11 league games with a calf knock. This is his third call-up, and it feels like finding a fiver in your old jeans.

Spalletti's full squad reads like a tactical puzzle: Goalkeepers – Perin, Di Gregorio, Pinsoglio. Defenders – Bremer, Gatti, Kelly, Kalulu, Cambiaso, Cabal. Midfielders – Locatelli, Koopmeiners, Adzic, Kostic, Thuram, Miretti, McKennie. Forwards – Conceicao, Yildiz, Zhegrova, Boga, Milik, Openda, David. Jeremie Boga gets a start after impressing off the bench against Pisa, with Kenan Yildiz shifting to false nine. As reported by Peter Young and Susy Campanale at Football Italia, it's a fresh look for the Bianconeri.

Spalletti's hyping it up, comparing the Udinese jaunt to 'stepping up to the next level, like in video games'. He wants to nick tricks from Bayern Munich's 'encyclopaedia of football'. Cheeky, but after their Pisa romp, Juve fans might just buy it.

Roma vs Como: Injury Drama in Fourth-Place Scrap

Meanwhile, Roma and Como are locked on points in joint fourth – a proper Champions League six-pointer at Stadio Sinigaglia. Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma welcome back Manu Kone after he missed the bench in their Europa League draw with Bologna. Wesley returns too, post-Genoa blank.

Bad news piles up, though: Matias Soulé's groin inflammation lingers, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson are long-term out, and Evan Ndicka's suspended. That hands Mario Hermoso a likely start – his first since early February. Roma's squad: Svilar, De Marzi, Gollini; Rensch, Angelino, Tsimikas, Celik, Hermoso, Mancini, Ziolkowski, Wesley, Ghilardi; Cristante, Pellegrini, El Aynaoui, Kone, Pisilli; Malen, Venturino, Vaz, El Shaarawy, Zaragoza. Thin up top, but Kone could spark things.

Spalletti's Level-Up Mission

Juve's crisis is in the rear-view now, but Udinese away is no gimme at Bluenergy Stadium. Spalletti's tinkering – Boga starting, Yildiz roaming – smells like ambition. Win here, and they could leapfrog into the top four if Como or Roma slip.

It's crunch time in Serie A, mates. Juventus without Vlahovic but with Milik's surprise nod, Roma patching holes – this weekend's got plot twists aplenty. Grab the popcorn (or a pint), because the top-four race is about to go full throttle. As Susy Campanale noted at Football Italia, these squads scream 'do or die'. Who's your money on?