Why Perin will miss Roma-Juventus clash, and who is his young replacement? | OneFootball

Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin has been excluded from the matchday squad for Sunday’s big showdown against Roma.

According to IlBianconero, the 32-year-old suffered a muscle injury in training earlier in the week, which will rule him out of action.

The Italian custodian wasn’t expected to start in any case, as Michele Di Gregorio has been the club’s designated first choice between the sticks since the start of the season. This was the case throughout Thiago Motta’s tumultuous reign, as well as Igor Tudor’s debut last weekend.

Nevertheless, Perin is considered an important figure in the locker room, something that the new manager has emphasised upon his arrival.

Therefore, the former Genoa man decided to join his teammates on the trip to the Italian capital, despite being unfit to play. He will thus offer some emotional and moral support to his teammates.

(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

With the Latina native ruled out of action, Tudor called up the young Giovanni Daffara to act as a third-choice goalkeeper behind Di Gregorio and Carlo Pinsoglio. So what do we know about the 20-year-old custodian?

Standing at 194 cm tall, the Biella native has cemented himself as the ultimate first choice at Juventus Next Gen since being promoted to the team in 2023. This season, he has made 31 Serie C appearances thus far, conceding 41 goals in the process and registering 11 clean sheets.

The Italian was in action on Saturday, helping the Next Gen beat Crotone by four goals to one as they continue their major season turnaround that started with the return of Massimo Brambilla.

Daffara joined the club’s youth ranks as a mere child, so he’s considered a Juventino through and through.

The shot-stopper has yet to make an appearance for the first team, but he was called up three times last season by Max Allegri, while Motta added him to his squad on one occasion this term, namely the Champions League contest against Stuttgart.