Juventus’ first foray into the 2025-26 Coppa Italia saw them produce a workmanlike 2-0 victory over Udinese to ease into the quarterfinal. In the 18 years since the tournament moved to its current single-elimination format, Juventus is the only team to have reached the quarterfinals every single time.
It came with some encouraging showings, including Jonathan David and Lois Openda both producing goals (both of which were called back over shoddy VAR calls) and David helping force the opener in off of Udinese defender Matteo Palma. With Dusan Vlahovic out, the pair of strikers will be under the microscope to improve their form, and Tuesday was a hopeful sign. In midfield, Fabio Miretti continued his good run of form since his return from injury.
How did everyone do in the round of 16 tie? Let’s take a closer look at each player who saw the field.
MICHELE DI GREGORIO - NR. It’s hard to give a goalkeeper a rating when the opponent doesn’t get a shot on goal. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s starting on Sunday.
PIERRE KALULU - 6. Didn’t really have a whole lot to do in terms of defending, as he didn’t even need to attempt a tackle. Did have a key pass on the other end. A true iron man, he hasn’t missed a minute all year long.
FEDERICO GATTI - 6. Did well in the middle of the back four, not allowing much in the way of danger. He did lose three of four of his duels on the ground, which is unusual and makes you wonder how long his knee might’ve been bothering him. Losing him for a long time is gonna be a blow.
LLOYD KELLY - 6. Had a pair of shots blocked, and had a quiet night in defense on a day where Udinese were entirely without teeth.
ANDREA CAMBIASO - 6. Mistake-free for most of the night on defense, winning six of nine duels on the ground. Added a successful dribble in the attacking phase.
FABIO MIRETTI - 6.5. Completed 96 percent of his passes and had two dribbles through midfield and seven ball recoveries. He’s been in great form since his return.
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 02: Fabio Miretti of Juventus fights for the ball with Nicolò Zaniolo of Udinese during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus and Udinese at Allianz Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Filippo Alfero - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 02: Fabio Miretti of Juventus fights for the ball with Nicolò Zaniolo of Udinese during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus and Udinese at Allianz Stadium on December 02, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Filippo Alfero - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
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TEUN KOOPMEINERS - 5.5. He didn’t look bad, but the numbers weren’t great. He lost possession 10 times and didn’t win any of his duels. Kept the team moving on the attack for much of the game, but with Gatti liable to miss a good deal of time it’s likely he’s ticketed back to the back three for a bit.
JUAN CABAL - 6. Had a key pass and drew the penalty that salted away the game in the second half. More importantly didn’t look like making any of the boneheaded errors that seem to have been an issue for him when he’s come off the bench.
WESTON McKENNIE - 6.5. Unlucky not to get an assist after Palma got the last touch on his cross for David. Overall he had three key passes and looked better than he has in this attacking midfield spot. Defensively won three of three tackles and had an assist. Would’ve been higher, but he did lose possession 11 times, so he does need to take better care of the rock.
KENAN YILDIZ - 6. Denied an early goal by a Sava save, but he didn’t have any successful dribbles and didn’t set up anything either. He did win a pair of tackles and worked hard to keep Juve on the attack when Udinese tried to win the ball back, but it was still relatively quiet.
JONATHAN DAVID - 7. The liveliest he’s looked in a long, long time. He was unlucky not to have two goals by the half-hour mark, once on the Palma OG and another a few minutes later when he was ruled offside when it appeared that the semi-automated offside system ignored a player that was keeping him on. Even then, the amount he was judged to be offside by was so small it didn’t give him any advantage whatsoever. He also completed every pass he attempted.
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 2: Jonathan David of Juventus FC scores the team’s first goal during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus FC and Udinese Calcio at Allianz Stadium on December 2, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Gandolfo/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 2: Jonathan David of Juventus FC scores the team’s first goal during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus FC and Udinese Calcio at Allianz Stadium on December 2, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Gandolfo/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
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MANUEL LOCATELLI - 6.5. Took the penalty with aplomb and did well replacing Gatti in the back.
JOÃO MÁRIO - 6. Won all his duels and had a pair of clearances in his 16 minutes on the field. Should’ve been credited with an assist when he was ruled offside by roughly one-third the length of his foot. If David didn’t have an advantage, to claim that Mário had one is an entirely different level of ridiculous. The fact that IFAB hasn’t done anything to modernize the offside rule for the VAR era is a dereliction of their duty to the sport.
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO - 6. Had a shot blocked on a counterattack and did his job up top as time expired.
LOÏS OPENDA - 6. Would’ve had a goal if the stewards of the game got off their rear ends and did something to improve the sport. It was a good finish, and he also had a key pass out of his five touches.
EDON ZHEGROVA - NR. In six minutes plus stoppage time, he touched the ball 24 times, completed both his dribble attempts, 15 of 16 passes, and had a shot blocked in the box. He caused all kinds of trouble, and if he ever gets fit, he could cause some very good trouble indeed.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
There’s not much to say about Spalletti here. He didn’t make any splashy experiments, just put guys out with instructions and let them cook.
It’ll be very interesting in the future to see how he integrates Zhegrova into the rotation behind the striker, and how that will affect the rest of the squad. One has to think that he’d be picked there over McKennie, who would either kick out to the right wing-back spot or join the rotation in the double pivot. It will also cause some more questions about Koopmeiners, although the Dutchman’s likely going to be in the back line at least until Bremer and/or Daniele Rugani return after Gatti’s injury.
Ultimately, though, Tuesday was an easy match to prep for Sunday’s big game against Napoli, who advanced to the quarters themselves on Wednesday after a 1-1 draw and a 10-round shootout against Cagliari.
LOOKING AHEAD
Juve will face Atalanta in their next Coppa match in February. Atalanta easily won their round of 16 game against a 10-man Genoa squad 4-0 on Wednesday.
But before that come two big matches, starting with the away test against defending champions (barf) Napoli in Naples. After that they return home for a must-win Champions League game against Cyprian outfit Pafos.