Thirty-six long matchdays have gotten us to this point. Some of them have been good, some of them have been the opposite, a good number of them have landed somewhere in the middle, potentially with a rather apathetic feeling thrown in there, too. No matter how you try and spin another trophy-less season for Juventus, it has been another slog at times where other moments have actually given us some semblance of hope.
Either way, we’re now down to the final 180 minutes.
We actually know a kickoff time, too. (How about that, huh?)
Juventus’ final home game of the 2025-26 season is upon us, folks. And with it comes a final sprint to the finish line in a season in which Juventus have been far from impressive for much of the season yet also have a chance to actually finish the penultimate weekend of the campaign in second place. Seriously, it’s’ possible. That is due to the fact that all of three points separate Napoli in second and sixth-place Como — which is a huge reason as to why half of the Matchday 37 fixture lis tis kicking off at high noon on Sunday. Juventus, two points behind Antonio Conte’s Napoli, are obviously part of that group, and begin this back-to-back matchup against teams that absolutely hate the Bianconeri with a visit from Fiorentina.
This is the same Fiorentina team that has not won in a month and has just spent much of the season trying to fight out of and then stay out of the relegation zone. It has been a hugely disappointing season for La Viola and the two managers who have coached them. They will arrive in Turin mathematically safe from relegation but also sitting in 15th place — a far cry from where they expected to be at this point of the 2025-26 season considering they have the seventh-highest wage bill in Serie A.
But you know what would be a nice little consolation prize for La Viola?
You guessed it: Completely screwing over Juve’s Champions League chase in the penultimate weekend of the season. Because that is one of the real only motivating factors that Fiorentina has in their final two games this season. Trying to finish in 13th place compared to 15th? Nah, who cares about that. But putting a massive dent in Juventus’ Champions League qualification hopes? That’s what a team that hates Juve would love to do.
Tired: Finishing mid-table.
Wired: Seeing Juve drop points when they desperately need three points.
Throw in the fact that Juventus just hasn’t had much success against Fiorentina earlier this season and over the last handful of years, then you better believe that it could very well end up being a lot closer than some think based on how Paolo Vanoli’s squad have looked over the last few weeks.
Juventus haven’t beaten Fiorentina in over two years. The last three meetings between the two clubs have been two draws bookending what proved to be the final nail in Thiago Motta’s coffin at Juve with a 3-0 loss in Florence. That most recent draw, a 1-1 scoreline at the Franchi, came all of about three weeks after Luciano Spalletti took over as manager. Even as Fiorentina have been going through their issues when Juventus have faced them, it’s not like it’s been an easy road by any stretch of the imagination.
The last time Juventus beat Fiorentina was April 7, 2024.
For all of Firoentina’s struggles, that’s a long time to go without a win over a team like Fiorentina.
But that’s the catch with all of this. Beating Fiorentina, no matter what kind of form they’re in at the time, is tough to make happen. It’s almost always been a low-scoring matchup. We might not see the same kind of approach from Spalletti as we saw from Max Allegri put forward about 2 1/2 years ago when he just dared Fiorentina to cross and cross and cross and try to beat Juve that way, but it’s a big task to try and make happen even if it looks like Fiorentina has been on the beach — at least mentally — the last few weeks.
And did we mention that Juventus’ Champions League qualification hopes are riding on it?
Juve have six points left on the table. That’s 180 minutes of football left to play in the 2025-26 season. They win both of those games, they’re in the Champions League next season. It’s simple on paper — and that’s because Spalletti’s squad control their own fate. The way you lose that — especially with how tight things are from second place down to sixth — is to drop points this weekend and potentially risk things with the Turin derby to close out the season.
So as much as Sunday afternoon might be a grind, Juventus need to win. They can finish the day in second, they can finish the day in third, but that should be the only two places in which they need to be in the table. You do that and then the Derby della Mole will be your ticket into the Champions League. Simple as that.
TEAM NEWS
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Luciano Spalletti did not hold a pre-match press conference — wonder how much of that had to do with the scheduling nonsense that happened during the week — so we’re not totally sure about a few potential physical ailments that are hampering the Juve squad right now.
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That being said, everybody who was able to train with the group did so on Saturday, according to Sky Italia. A trio of Juventus players — Khephren Thuram, Pierre Kalulu and Lloyd Kelly — were part of that group after specialized training for much of the week.
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Just last the last couple of weeks, the only Juventus players who are out injured are Juan Cabal and (of course) Arek Milik. Both players won’t play again this season.
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Ironically, Cabal and Milik have been called up by Spalletti, a classy move that seems more ceremonious rather than a sign that they’re going to be playing against Fiorentina.
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Spalletti is not expected to change much — or any — of his starting lineup against Fiorentina.
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Three Juventus players remain one yellow card away from having to serve a suspension in the season finale against Torino next weekend. They are: Kelly, Gleison Bremer and Manuel Locatelli.
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As has been unofficial tradition over much of the last decade, Juventus will debut next season’s home kit with this being their last home game of the current campaign. The tradition stripes and collar are back, baby!
JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH
There is a growing sense that Juventus’ starting lineup against Fiorentina will look a lot like the one that Spalletti used a week ago in the win over Lecce. That means Juventus’ midfield pivot will once again be one that we haven’t seen much of over the last few months.
But it could also be one that we see for one of the final times both this season and beyond considering the unsettled future of the player we are about to talk about.
And no, it’s not Locatelli. Remember how he signed a new deal just a few weeks ago, folks? So you can probably do the the math or process of elimination now.
For all we know, this could be one of Teun Koopmeiners’ final appearances in a Juventus jersey. I’m guessing there’s a good amount of people who would be OK with that. And maybe just as many people who will be fuming when they are reminded just how much Juventus sent over to Atalanta in exchange for Koopmeiners, who has failed to live up to the lofty transfer fee that the Bianconeri paid two summers ago.
No matter your feelings on Koopmeiners from his final season in Bergamo or the player who has been present for the vast majority of his time with Juventus, it does look like a second straight start alongside Locatelli in midfield is likely. That mostly has to do with the fact that Thuram is still dealing with the muscle issue that has hampered him the last few weeks and his match fitness is essentially limiting him to a role as a second-half sub. Therefore, in what could be his final game at the Allianz Stadium as a Juve player, Koopmeiners will be a key player for Spalletti in the Bianconeri’s hopes of beating La Viola.
To steal a term from the baseball advanced stat world, we shouldn’t really be happy with “replacement level” quality of play from Koopmeiners considering what Juve paid for him, but that feels like the bar these days because of just how disappointing his time in Turin has been. You don’t pay that kind of transfer and just hope that said player is simply “OK” most of the time. But with how Koopmeiners has played, something even slightly above replacement level does feel like a stark improvement.
Juventus will likely have a lot of possession against Fiorentina on Sunday afternoon. They will likely be facing a low block that will look to counter and use the speed that they have up front. So as much as Koopmeiners trying to break the lines with his passing will be important, his defending will be just as vital in trying to not allow Fiorentina to trick off a chance or two and stun the Allianz crowd.
If this is one of the last times we see Koopmeiners as a Juve player, then let’s just hope it’s pushing something resembling — gasp! — good rather than the status quo for much of his two seasons in bianconero.
MATCH INFO
When: Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Where: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.
Official kickoff time: 12 p.m. local time in Italy and across Europe, 11 a.m. in the United Kingdom, 6 a.m. Eastern time, 5 a.m. Central time, 3 a.m. Pacific time.
HOW TO WATCH
Television: Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Sport 252 (Italy).
Online/Streaming: Paramount+, Amazon Prime USA, DAZN USA (United States); DAZN Canada; fuboTV Canada (Canada); DAZN UK (United Kingdom); DAZN Italy, Sky Go Italia, NOW TV (Italy).
Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow along with us live and all the stupid things we say on Bluesky. If you haven’t already, join the community on Black & White & Read All Over, and join in the discussion below.
