Juventus may not have star center back against Barcelona

Juventus will face Barcelona in next week’s Champions League fixture, but they may be without a key player.

After drawing with Crotone over the weekend in Serie A, Juventus got back to their winning ways by defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in their Champions League group stage opener on Tuesday. Alvaro Morata provided both goals, making it three in two games for the Atletico Madrid loanee.

Early in the victory, Giorgio Chiellini grabbed his hamstring, motioned for a change, put the armband on Leonardo Bonucci, and left the pitch for Merih Demiral. In Chiellini’s absence, Demiral was, unsurprisingly, excellent, but questions remain about Chiellini after another injury.

According to a report from Sky Sport Italia, Giorgio Chiellini is in doubt for Juventus’ next fixtures. The Bianconeri will face Verona in Serie A this weekend and then defend the Allianz Stadium against Barcelona next Wednesday in the second Champions League group stage match.

Chiellini reportedly has a muscular issue in his right thigh and will need further testing to determine the extent of the injury.

Juventus almost definitely won’t have Giorgio Chiellini against Verona

It is extremely unlikely for the captain to play against Verona on Sunday night, so the focus will be on if Chiellini can recover in time to face Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Lionel Messi, and the Barcelona attack. La Blaugrana have their issues, but they are fierce competition for Juventus.

If Chiellini cannot play, Juve’s defense should still be fine. Danilo is great as a center back in a back three, and Demiral is one of the best young center backs in the world. Matthijs de Ligt is still out, but, hopefully, Bonucci doesn’t make too many mistakes at the back.

As for Barcelona, they will be without their own leader at the back, as Gerard Pique has been suspended for picking up a red card in La Blaugrana’s first group stage match.