Openda ready 'when called upon' after ending Juventus goal drought

Lois Openda says he will always try to be ready for Juventus "when I am called upon", after opening his tally for the Bianconeri in midweek.

The Belgium international was on target during Juve's 3-2 victory over Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday.

It was Openda's first goal for the club in 12 appearances since arriving from RB Leipzig on a season-long loan in September.

The 25-year-old was delighted to finally get off the mark and was thankful for the support he received while struggling to open his account.

"It hasn't been easy because I hadn't scored, but I'm grateful for the support from the club and my family," he said. "I know I'm at one of the most important teams, and I know what I have to do.

"I'm ready for any chance I get to play. [On Tuesday] it came, and I scored. I'm happy with my first goal, but the most important thing was the victory. We managed to bring home this success together.

"I have always had everyone's support, I know what I have to do and what I can do to help the team. I succeeded with everyone's help. I will always try to be ready when I am called upon."

It was Juventus' first win in this season's Champions League, and they will look to build on that momentum when they host 14th-place Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday.

And Luciano Spalletti was pleased to see the pressure lifted from the shoulders of his side, who are seventh in the Serie A table and seven points behind leaders Roma.

"It's not about choices, it's also about ensuring the whole squad develops," he said. "I am happy [with Tuesday's win] because, in the locker room, I saw happy faces, or at least more relaxed ones.

"Players are people, too, and they suffer when things don’t go well. It’s not like those who suggest they are laissez-faire."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Juventus – Dusan Vlahovic

Cagliari are the side against whom Vlahovic has scored the most Serie A goals, netting eight across 11 matches, including his first-ever Serie A brace on 10 November 2019 for Fiorentina.

The Serbia international has scored in each of his last three Serie A matches against them, and could net in four successive league games against a single opponent for the third time, also doing so against Bologna and Sampdoria.

Cagliari – Gennaro Borrelli

Borrelli scored two headers during Cagliari's 3-3 draw with Genoa last weekend. Four of his last six goals in Serie A and Serie B have been headers.

In 2025, only Joel Pohjanpalo and Federico Bonini (both five) have scored more headed goals than Borrelli (four) across the two competitions.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Juventus are unbeaten in 26 of their last 27 Serie A matches against Cagliari (W21 D5 L1), though two of the last three meetings have ended in draws.

Following a 1-1 stalemate at the Allianz Stadium in October 2024, they could draw successive Serie A games in Turin for the first time since May 2013.

Since the start of last season, Juve have drawn more matches than any other team in the five big European leagues, drawing 21 of their 50 games (42%).

Meanwhile, Cagliari could draw their successive top-flight games for the first time since a run of four between November and December 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Juventus – 68.5%

Draw – 18.3%

Cagliari – 13.2%