Merih Demiral injury: How does the latest absence affect Juventus?

Juventus suffered a shock elimination from this season’s UEFA Champions League, thanks to the away-goal rule and a 4-4 aggregate scoreline against Porto last Tuesday. Juventus’ 23-year-old Merih Demiral made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, having spent perhaps the worst night as a Bianconeri professional so far.

Due to injury concerns and fitness issues, Andrea Pirlo was inclined to pick Merih Demiral in one of their most significant events in the 2020-21 season and Pirlo’s managerial career. But the Turkey international, showcasing his lack of experience in bigger stages, conceded a penalty around the first twenty minutes into the game.

Sérgio Oliveira dispatched the spot-kick, handing Porto a crucial 1-0 lead on the night. Demiral remained on the pitch for the rest of the game but did little in a 3-2 home win that saw the Old Lady getting kicked out of the respective competition for the second successive year.

And In what did go wrong next, the Italian media started to pick on Demiral, blaming him for Juve’s elimination.

But soon, the mood around the camp changed, and Demiral felt the sympathy of the fans as it was revealed that the 23-year-old defender kept playing on the night despite carrying a knock.

As revealed in a report from Sport Mediaset, the Juventus defender will remain on the sideline for at least 20 days, owing to a muscle injury on his right thigh. Therefore, he is likely to miss Juventus’ upcoming league fixtures against Cagliari and Benevento Calcio.

The sources have revealed that Demiral should be available for Juve’s derby game against Torino on April 3, 2021, however.

So, what does the Merih Demiral injury mean for Juventus?

Juventus have had suffered a lot with the injury crisis of late, with integral defensive personnel such as Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs de Ligt, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci all missing a fair share of games due to their respective injury issues.

In the absence of those aforementioned absentees, Merih Demiral stepped up and filled the void.

Prior to the second leg against Porto, he had made four starts in the league, conceding just two goals and showcasing his ability to pull off the consistent rock-solid performances in the time of need.

And now with Demiral injured, it is time for those fit bodies to step up and replace the defender at the heart of Juve’s defence.

The Merih Demiral injury shouldn’t be that concerning for Juventus, as players such as Chiellini, De Ligt, and Bonucci have become available for selection. That would surely cut the onus off Pirlo’s shoulders.

Currently second on the league table having played one game less than the league leaders Iner Milan, Juventus are ten points adrift of the zenith.

With hopes of turning the morose atmosphere around Turin, Juventus will host Cagliari this Sunday to keep their aspiration of a consecutive 10th Scudetto alive.