Striker Vlahovic still unavailable for injury-ravaged Juventus
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Vlahovic is Juve's top scorer this season with nine goals in all competitions
(Reuters) - Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic remains sidelined with a thigh problem and will miss Sunday's match at Lecce, manager Thiago Motta said as the Serie A club battle an injury crisis.
Vlahovic is Juve's top scorer this season with nine goals in all competitions but the Serbia striker has not played since coming off in the closing minutes of his country's Nations League clash with Denmark earlier this month.
In the 24-year-old's absence, Juve have struggled to score and have played out two goalless draws -- away to AC Milan in Serie A and Aston Villa in the Champions League.
Juve are sixth in the standings but Motta's side, who are unbeaten in Serie A, are just four points off leaders Napoli while Lecce are struggling in 15th place with 12 points.
"Dusan is not available for the Lecce match, like all players, he is focused on recovering as soon as possible," Motta told reporters on Saturday.
"He wants to be on the pitch and help the team, as soon as he is fit we will know which match he will be available for."
Apart from Vlahovic, Motta said Juve also have Nicolo Savona, Weston McKennie, Nico Gonzalez and Douglas Luiz sidelined while Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal are out for the season with anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
"I don't know who will recover first, they are all working to be at their best as soon as possible," he added.
"All teams go through periods with more or less injuries, but I don't think about that. I'm only focused on those who will be there and I hope the others will recover as soon as possible, but my focus is on those available.
"I have total confidence in my players and there is only one way to deal with the situation - to give something more to face the upcoming matches, an extra collective effort. The path we are following is the right one, we work every day to improve."
Lecce appointed Marco Giampaolo as their new coach on a deal until the end of the season earlier this month and Motta said that may turn the tide for the struggling team.
"They're coming off a win (1-0 at bottom side Venezia). When you change coach it is normal to bring something new and some enthusiasm. The players who played less can start from scratch and show that they can participate," Motta said.
"You create an environment with positive things within the team, we saw that at Venezia. They have interesting players and the coach gives a lot in terms of organisation, they will try to push and put us in difficulty."
