Juventus: Injury update ahead of Serie A return against Hellas Verona
Juventus’ 0-0 stalemate against AC Milan was less than two weeks ago, yet it feels like the contest took place in a pre-COVID world.
Those were the days, eh?
The forgettable bout, which will forever be known as Rodrigo Bentancur’s (and probably Dejan Kulusevski’s) last game for the club, was the last time we saw Massimiliano Allegri’s plucky Bianconeri in action.
Thankfully, the void created by the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers was filled by a potentially era-defining final week of the January transfer window. Allegri’s squad will look a little different when Juventus take to the field on Sunday against Hellas Verona, with new arrivals Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria both in contention for debuts.
But, how’s the rest of the Juve squad shaping up ahead of Serie A’s return? Here’s an injury update ahead of Sunday’s clash.
A Juventus injury update ahead of Sunday’s Serie A game against Hellas Verona
#Bonucci, #Morata e #Pellegrini hanno svolto come da programma una seduta di lavoro personalizzato. #Bernardeschi, a causa di un affaticamento muscolare, ha svolto un programma di lavoro differenziato che proseguirà fino al termine della settimana in corso. #Juventus
— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) February 1, 2022
Alex Sandro tested positive for COVID-19 while away on international duty and is yet to recover from the virus. The Brazilian returned a positive result on January 31.
Thus, the full-back is unlikely to feature on Sunday with Luca Pellegrini in contention. La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese reported earlier this week that Pellegrini, along with Alvaro Morata and Leonardo Bonucci, underwent a “personalised work session”. Nevertheless, all three are expected to play some role against Hellas.
Albanese added that Federico Bernardeschi is carrying out a different work program at Continassa until the end of the week as he’s suffering from muscle fatigue. The Italian’s status for Sunday is in question.
Allegri will also have to consider how he’ll shape up his midfield in the absence of Manuel Locatelli. The Italian picked up a harsh yellow card for a challenge on Sandro Tonali in the Milan draw which was his fifth Serie A booking of the campaign. He’ll miss one game as a result.
In his place, we could see Zakaria start from minute one, or Arthur Melo could sit at the base with Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot functioning as a pair of #8’s in a three-man midfield.