Juventus have been handed a much-needed injury boost ahead of Saturday’s Serie A clash with Atalanta.
The mood in Turin is a sombre one after Chelsea inflicted the heaviest Champions League defeat upon the Bianconeri ever on Tuesday night. Massimiliano Allegri’s side were distinctly second best as the Blues ran riot in a 4-0 win.
The manner of the defeat saw Juve relinquish top spot in Group H, and they’ll be hoping that Zenit do them a favour on Matchday 6 when they host the group-topping Blues.
Despite their recent European humiliation, Juventus head into Saturday’s Serie A contest with Atalanta on a two-game winning streak in the league. Juan Cuadrado helped Juve to a 1-0 win over Fiorentina before the international break before a measured and controlled display was enough to get past a poor Lazio outfit last weekend.
Federico Bernardeschi & Giorgio Chiellini have returned to training
#Bernardeschi e #Chiellini oggi si sono allenati in gruppo 🆗🇮🇹@GoalItalia
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) November 25, 2021
On Thursday afternoon, it was reported by various sources, including Romeo Agresti, that Federico Bernardeschi and Giorgio Chiellini have returned to training.
Bernardeschi picked up a groin injury while playing for Italy earlier this month and was expected to miss Saturday’s game, but it appears the versatile midfielder has recovered in time to be available for selection.
Chiellini, meanwhile, missed Italy’s recent qualifiers with a thigh injury and hasn’t seen the field since the 2-1 defeat at Hellas Verona just before Halloween. The veteran is fit once more, although Allegri could stick with the pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt on Saturday. Neither were to blame for Juve’s incompetence at Stamford Bridge.
As for Bernardeschi, his return should see Adrien Rabiot return to the bench. Bernardeschi was superb from the hybrid role against Zenit, and Allegri may be tempted to revert back to the 4-4-2 on Saturday. Against Lazio and Chelsea, Juve defended in an even more conservative 4-5-1.