Juventus: Juan Cuadrado’s possible replacement against Milan
Juventus will miss both of their fullbacks in Wednesday’s must-win match against Milan.
Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado have both reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, per Sky Sport Italia. That means neither starting fullback will be available on Matchday 16 at the San Siro against Milan. It is a must-win game for Juventus, who are a full 10 points behind the league-leading Rossoneri.
Cuadrado has been one of Juve’s most important players this season, and he showed some of that value in the 2-1 win over Torino. The Colombian assisted both goals in that match and has been a consistent source of chance-creation for the club.
Who will replace Cuadrado on Wednesday? Sky Sport Italia report that Merih Demiral is a possible solution on the right-hand side. Demiral is a center back, but he can masquerade as a right back, though he would be a more defensive option.
Juventus could opt for a back three against Milan
Why not Danilo, a natural right back? Well, he will already have to start on the left side, presumably, to cover for Alex Sandro. Juventus could start Gianluca Frabotta as a left back instead, but he may not have the experience or quality to start in such a high-stakes match.
One final solution is to go with a back three again, which Andrea Pirlo used to make great use of earlier this season. Demiral would start on the right, Matthijs de Ligt through the middle, and Giorgio Chiellini could make his return to the starting XI as the left central defender.
Juventus have a lot of good players at center back, whereas the Cuadrado and Sandro COVID-19 tests highlight the lack of bodies at fullback. Pirlo can use this to his advantage by deploying a center back-focused strategy on Matchday 16, though we’ll have to see what happens.
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Either way, Demiral seems to be in line for minutes in a big game, and we all know how much he wants to play for the team.