Federico Chiesa is headed for surgery and a lengthy rehab. Juventus confirmed today that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Considering the standard five-to-six-month timetable and the club’s cautious approach to injuries, he will most likely sit out the remainder of the campaign.
Chiesa got hurt in the first half of yesterday’s clash with Roma. He initially tweaked his knee in a tackle with Chris Smalling. He stayed in the game after the medical staff checked on him. However, he bowed out in tears a few minutes later as his knee buckled on a sudden change of direction.
The winger recently returned after missing multiple matches because of a severe thigh strain. He found the target in the Napoli game and assisted Paulo Dybala yesterday before subbing off. It is a major blow for the Azzurri as well. Chiesa will be unavailable for the World Cup final four-style playoff against North Macedonia and eventually Portugal or Turkey.
Federico Bernardeschi had mostly filled him in and fared admirably in previous fixtures. Dejan Kulusevski entered the match and scored versus Roma. It is possible that Juventus will not seek a replacement in January, also due to their lack of funds.
On top of Chiesa, also Matthijs De Ligt and Juan Cuadrado will skip Wednesday’s Supercoppa against Inter. The Dutchman saw red versus Roma on the late penalty kick due to a handball. Juan Cuadrado picked up his fifth yellow card in Serie A. They will serve their suspension in the next domestic match.