Coppa Italia opponents confirmed

In the coming weeks, Juventus will have to return to the pitch to defend their Coppa Italia title, the latest trophy added to the Bianconeri’s trophy cabinet after last May’s 1-0 victory in the final in Rome against Atalanta.

As is customary in the tournament, the top seeds only enter the fray from the Round of 16, which will be played no earlier than the beginning of December, with the other teams facing off in elimination rounds before advancing to the business end of the competition.

JUVENTUS-CAGLIARI IN THE ROUND OF 16As reported earlier today, FC Barcelona have chosen former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny as their target to replace the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The 34-year-old Polish shot-stopper, though, announced his retirement from football earlier this summer after bringing an end to his stint at Juventus.

However, Barça are trying to coax him out of retirement and convince him to return, with current La Liga top scorer Robert Lewandowski helping the club to achieve their goal.

Szczesny willing to sign on two conditions

Initial contacts have already taken place between Barcelona and Szczesny’s camp, and according to ESport3, the goalkeeper is looking at the proposal favourably and considering coming out of retirement.

Juventus’ first opponent will therefore be Cagliari, with the Rossoblu having qualified by beating Cremonese 1-0 thanks to Gianluca Lapadula’s goal. The challenge will be played between the 3-5, or 17-19 December, with the exact date and time to be confirmed in the coming days.

The 34-year-old is attracted by the proposal of a big European club like Barça. However, the report states that the former Juventus, AS Roma, and Arsenal goalkeeper has set two conditions for him to join the Catalans.

For starters, the 34-year-old will consider signing for Barcelona only if he is guaranteed a starting spot – he does not intend to play as a backup.

Another condition that Szczesny has put forth is that he would only sign a one-year contract with the club. The goalkeeper will not pose any issues in the financial sense but only wants to ink a short-term deal.

Szczesny’s family, with whom he lives in the Andalusian town of Marbella, had been looking forward to starting a new life following his retirement. An aspect that explains why he prefers a short contract. If he signs with Barça, it will be agreed with the people closest to him.

If the deal does not go through, Barcelona are handling two more alternatives – one of whom happens to be former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.