Cristiano Ronaldo will be out, but another star will return at Benevento
Juventus will rest superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo this Saturday against Benevento.
The Bianconeri rely on Cristiano Ronaldo like no other team – with the possible exception of Inter Milan and Romelu Lukaku – rely on a star player. Ronaldo has lifted Juve to wins over Spezia and Cagliari with his braces, and he’s also bailed out the team against the likes of Roma and Ferencvaros. And when he was subbed at Lazio after giving the team a 1-0 lead, Juve blew the match without him.
Ronaldo won’t be there on Saturday evening against Benevento, a newly-promoted Serie A side, to add to his goal tally and ensure victory. The Bianconeri must learn to win without him.
Because according to Sky Sport Italia, Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo wants to give Cristiano Ronaldo some rest this weekend.
Ronaldo is a player who never wants rest. With eight goals in Serie A this season despite missing games due to a positive COVID-19 test, Ronaldo is in his best form in Italian football since joining the Old Lady before the 2018-2019 season. So naturally, he likely wants to be out there to score.
He also needs rest, and, maybe more importantly, Juventus need to learn how to deal without Ronaldo. They struggled badly when he was out due to COVID-19.
The good news for Juventini is that Sky Sport Italia also report that center back Leonardo Bonucci will be back in the lineup after his injury.
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Bonucci will probably start and hold the armband, and Juve could shift back to three center backs with Bonucci healthy. Matthijs de Ligt, Danilo, and Merih Demiral have all been excellent and better than Bonucci this season, but Bonucci could retain his place. Sky Sport believe he will start alongside de Ligt in a back four with Alex Sandro and Danilo at the fullback positions.