Juventus were handed a double injury blow on Sunday afternoon as it was revealed that both Paulo Dybala and Daniele Rugani will be sidelined for ten days after undergoing tests.
After Rugani pulled up in the warm-up of Friday night’s Derby della Mole draw with Torino, Dybala was forced off early in the second half with an issue of his own.
While some speculated that the Argentine was brought off as a precaution ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League round of 16 first leg against Villarreal, it was revealed post-match that La Joya had picked up a thigh injury.
And while Juve’s creator-in-chief has avoided any serious damage, he’ll be sidelined for Juve’s upcoming European clash in Spain.
Paulo Dybala & Daniele Rugani will be sidelined for ten days with injuries
⬇️ Aggiornamento infortunati ✅
— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) February 20, 2022
🔴 #Dybala: elongazione del muscolo semitendinoso della coscia sinistra. I tempi di recupero: circa 10 giorni.
🔴 #Rugani: elongazione del muscolo bicipite femorale della coscia sinistra. I tempi di recupero: circa 10 giorni.#Juventus #Juve
On Sunday afternoon, La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese broke the news of Dybala’s diagnosis after he underwent tests at J-Medical. Albanese confirmed that the Argentine has suffered an “elongation of the semitendinosus muscle of the left thigh” that’ll keep him out of action for ten days.
Similarly, Rugani is expected to miss the next ten days after sustaining an “elongation of the hamstring muscle of the left thigh”.
As a result, the pair will miss the first leg against Villarreal as well as Saturday’s Serie A contest away at Empoli. They may also miss the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Fiorentina on March 2.
For Dybala, it’s his fourth minor injury setback this season and this one will once again rule him out for the start of the Bianconeri’s Champions League knockout campaign. La Joya’s availability woes this term have deterred the club’s hierarchy in contract negotiations and his latest setback will undoubtedly complicate upcoming talks.
Nevertheless, Dybala’s absence will likely convince Massimiliano Allegri to revert to the 4-4-2 for the Bianconeri’s upcoming fixtures with Alvaro Morata partnering Dusan Vlahovic up top. In defence, meanwhile, Rugani’s injury is an untimely one. With Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini currently out as well, Allegri will be forced to deploy the versatile Danilo alongside Matthijs de Ligt at centre-back.