Last Sunday, Massimiliano Allegri had to do with a makeshift midfield on his second Juventus debut. Aaron Ramsey played in an unfamiliar Regista role, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Bernardeschi in the box-to-box positions.

It goes without saying that this trio is a far cry from the one that the returning tactician had at his disposal during his first debut. Back then, the Old Lady’s squad contained a world class midfield composed of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba.

Whilst the current crop surely can’t be compered to those names, things could still partially improve for Max starting next weekend.

The Bianconeri will be hosting Serie B champions, Empoli, at the Allianz Stadium, and Allegri should have Adrien Rabiot available, at least according to Calciomercato.

The Frenchman took a slight knock during pre-season that kept him out of action for about three weeks, but he’s working on regaining his fitness to be in the running for a starting position on Saturday night.

Moreover, Weston McKennie will also be available once again after serving a suspension against Udinese, and more importantly, Manuel Locatelli could be ready for his full debut after making a late appearance last Sunday.

The new Juventus star was deemed unfit to start after completing his transfer from Sassuolo just few days prior the season opener, but with an entire week of training under his belt, Allegri could be willing to thrust him into the starting lineup.