Juventus Predicted XI vs Hellas Verona: Alvaro Morata to miss the game?

Juventus will visit the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi this Saturday to challenge Hellas Verona on Matchday 24 of Serie A 2020-21. The Gialloblu have enjoyed some decent results against the Bianoconeri of late, having been undefeated in their last two meetings.

Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo will still be missing some integral members of their squad, with Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Juan Cuadrado, Arthur, Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata all set to be on the sideline through their respective injuries.

To increase the onus, Pirlo will also be without the services of Danilo. The Brazilian full-back picked up a yellow card against Crotone last Monday. And due to that cause, he will remain suspended for the weekend’s trip.

The absence of regular ones means the opportunity for academy graduates and aspiring stars. Here’s how an injury-ravaged Juventus should line-up against Verona:

GK: Wojciech Szczesny

Witnessing the 2-0 victory over Crotone from the bench, Szczesny is likely to replace Gianluigi Buffon under the bars. The 30-year-old has kept only four clean sheets in Serie A this season. By his standards, he should be looking to up the tally. And against Verona, he will have a chance to raise the bar.

LB: Alex Sandro

With Juan Cuadrado still assessing his injury, Alex Sandro should keep his place at the left-back position. He and his deadly crosses could yet again prove to be a medium of sabotaging the Verona defence.

CB: Matthijs de Ligt

Another injury-forced change, Matthijs de Ligt will occupy the place of regular Leonardo Bonucci. However, many fans would argue that De Ligt should be starting even in the presence of the veteran Italian. From what we have seen from the Dutchman, there definitely is an area for a healthy argument.

CB: Merih Demiral

Wherever given chances, Demiral has shown glimpses of promise. And Chellini’s injury means he will partner Matthijs de Ligt at the heart of the Old Lady’s defence this weekend.

RB: Radu Drăgușin

Thanks to the one-match suspension, Danilo will not be making the trip to northern Italy’s Veneto region. In regard to the replacement, Radu Drăgușin is expected to step up. Played only four times for the senior side this season, the 19-year-old is on the brink of earning his first Serie A start for the club.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

Bentancur has been a regular for Pirlo’s side recently. It is the Uruguayan in whom the former Juve midfielder has put a lot of faith. And until Arthur regains his full fitness, Bentancur should continue getting the opportunities.

CM: Adrien Rabiot

After missing the Crotone fixture through suspension, Rabiot should return to the midfield for this away fixture. Pirlo will need his midfielder to be at the top of their games. Verona have one of the better defences in the league, and the key to unlocking the resistance would depend on Juve’s shrewd movements from the midfield.

RM: Federico Chiesa

One of the first names of the teamsheet, Chiesa will again be seen providing the width from the right on Saturday night.

LM: Weston McKennie

The USA international was assigned a role in the midfield pivot for Juventus last Monday. And he successfully carried out the orders from the boss, scoring the third goal and putting the game to bed. But now with Adrien Rabiot back from suspension, the on-loan prodigy from Schalke should be back on his usual left-midfield role.

ST: Dejan Kulusevski

Amidst the reported absence of Alvaro Morata due to a viral infection, Juventus will have to field Dejan Kulusevski in their frontline. Kulusevski possesses great potential but is yer to amass the numbers that his performances thoroughly deserve.

ST: Cristiano Ronaldo

With Juve certainly lacking firepower for the weekend upfront, there will be a huge responsibility of scoring goals on Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoulders. And we all know that he loves to thrive under pressure.

By the way, the Portuguese talisman is still chasing the record of scoring the fastest 100 goals for Juventus. Ronaldo will have to score ten more goals in seven more matches to match the record of Omar Sivori, who reached the milestone in only 124 games.