Weston McKennie will miss Thursday’s Europa League game at AZ Alkmaar due to fatigue in his right muscle, although there is no muscle tear. Kerim Alajbegović and Juan Cabal are back in form, a relief for a squad stretched thin ahead of a tough trip.
“Juventus” will visit AZ Alkmaar without Weston McCann. The American has fatigue and will miss Thursday’s Europa League match. The news is not all bad. Karim Alajbegovic and Juan Cabal were both sidelined in the 2-0 win over Napoli.
McKennie only continued the first half at the Allianz Stadium. He was replaced by Federico Gatti at halftime. Luciano Spalletti was forced to send on an extra defender as McKennie suffered a pull in his adductor. There were other players that the head coach could have chosen.
A short rest is enough, because the injury is not a tear, but fatigue, reports Sky Sport Italia. He should be back in the league. The problem is on his right side. ANSA said medical staff would re-examine him before Thursday.
Alajbegović and Cabal shake off Napoli’s strikes
Alajbegovic had both goal and fear against Napoli. He opened the scoring in the 70th minute, and two minutes later he was replaced by Jérémie Boga. Boga then added his second in the 87th. At 19 years and 41 days, the teenager set a new mark: no non-Italian goalscorer was younger in a Serie A meeting between these two clubs.
His knee strike has already been cleared. Cabal left for Andrea Cambiasso after 83 minutes with a cramp. This is explained by the fact that he did not start the game for a while. He will be available in Alkmaar.
Their return is significant because the lineup is badly stretched. Seven players are on the long-term injury list. Rugani, Jegrova, Ekhator and Milik were left out of UEFA’s squad. Losing McKennie, who can play in multiple positions, leaves Spalletti with even fewer options for the trip to Holland.
The native fortress of AZ is testing the goal formation of “Juventus”.
The match in AZ will start at 21:00 CET on November 5. The games of the 4th round are held in the league. Juventus have two wins and one draw so far.
AZ will be hard to break at home. Their last home defeat in Europe was a 4-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Conference League in October 2023.
“Juventus” is coming in good form. They have 9 goals in the Europa League this season. Only Benfica scored more goals with ten. This is Juventus’ best performance after three European Championship games since 1999/2000.
History against Dutch opposition is also encouraging. “Juventus” is undefeated with 2 wins and 1 draw in the previous three games against Dutch clubs in the Europa League. They scored seven goals and conceded one goal in these matches.
McKennie’s absence will shape the midfield at Alkmaar, but attention will quickly turn to his recovery. His place in the next league game is in doubt. “Juventus” will be the guest of “Fiorentina” – 11th round, Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 20:45.