Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo and 5 key players to watch against Atalanta

LW Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 26 goals in Serie A this season and has been on fire since the league’s return. The usual penalty goals, wonderful strikes from beyond the box, and even a free kick have been on the resume for Ronaldo, who remains one of the world’s most prolific goal-scorers at the age of 35.

This Saturday, Ronaldo will need to lead the way, and he’ll be hungry to have a defining performance against a Champions League-quality side. Ronaldo will mostly battle against center back Rafael Toloi, who is one of Serie A’s more underrated players at the position. But with Hans Hateboer as the wing back and little cover for a player of Ronaldo’s caliber, a big day is there for the taking.

CM Miralem Pjanic

Miralem Pjanic will likely start for Juventus again as the regista, and that’s such a critical role against a club like Atalanta, who love to control the ball and stretch teams. Pjanic will be worked like never before since Serie A’s return against Atalanta, especially with Papu Gomez in great form. The 32-year-old captain has 15 assists this season and is a magician on the ball.

Offensively, Pjanic must continue to be sharp on the ball, and Juve are noticeably better when he’s playing progressive passes. Pjanic loves controlling the play, but he needs to be the one feeding the forwards with purpose on Saturday. He must be the one to find the right passes and give Juve enough chances to match Atalanta’s scoring firepower.