On Thursday night, Juventus announced that Rodrigo Bentancur has tested positive for Covid-19. Thankfully, the Uruguayan is asymptomatic, and we all wish him a speedy return.
However, this latest absentee leaves Bianconeri manager Andrea Pirlo with an additional headache.
The situation was already dire at Continassa, as the injury crisis had left the young manager with very few options to choose from.
The Old Lady is set for two crucial encounters within the upcoming days. On Saturday, Juve welcomes Lazio in a tough Serie A fixture, before hosting Porto in the decisive second leg of the Champions League round of 16.
So will Pirlo be able to retrieve some of the injured players for these two clashes?
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Matthijs de Ligt’s availability remains doubtful against the Biancoceleste, but the club expects him to be ready against the Portuguese champions.
The Dutchman suffered from a minor problem during the warmups prior to Spezia’s match on Monday.
Whilst Juventus will be missing Bentancur in midfield, Arthur could be back just in time for the big European fixture.
The Brazilian has been out for a while with a rare injury, and the club is hoping that this issue will be resolved without the need for a surgery.
As for Leonardo Bonucci, the Friday training session should be decisive to evaluate his physical condition, and determine whether or not he’ll be ready to start against Lazio.
Captain Giorgio Chiellini has been out since the first leg against Porto, and the medical staff is targeting a return in the second leg. However, an early comeback against Lazio has been ruled out for the veteran, with Merih Demiral expected to start on Saturday.
Juan Cuadrado has been training regularly alongside his teammates. The Colombian is thus available for both matches, but the source doesn’t see him playing the full 180 minutes just yet.
Finally, Paulo Dybala’s return from his mysterious knee injury will depend on whether or not he’s feeling the pain. The Argentine will most probably miss the Porto match according to the report.