Juventus have been handed a double injury boost ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final with both Manuel Locatelli and Luca Pellegrini likely to make the trip to Rome.
The Bianconeri have a chance to add some silverware to a pretty wretched season in the week as they take on Derby d’Italia rivals Inter Milan for the fourth time this term.
Inter reignited their Scudetto charge with a gritty 1-0 victory over Juventus in April and that was the last time Juventini saw Locatelli in action. The former Sassuolo man picked up a knee injury early on that night which sidelined him for a month.
Juve are set to welcome the midfielder back for Wednesday’s final, with Pellegrini also poised to return following a brief spell on the sidelines.
Juventus will welcome back Manuel Locatelli & Luca Pellegrini for Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan
#Juventus: #Locatelli ha lavorato in gruppo // #Locatelli has worked with the group today 👍⚪️⚫️
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) May 8, 2022
Romeo Agresti reported in the wake of Juve’s 2-1 defeat at Genoa on Friday night that Locatelli trained with the group for the first time on Sunday. He later added that Pellegrini also trained on Sunday and is likely to travel with the squad to the Italian capital.
The Italian left-back missed the Genoa defeat with a sprained ankle but he’s said to have made a full recovery.
Whether he starts, though, is a different matter.
Young Fabio Miretti has recently stepped up in Locatelli’s absence and he’s said to be in contention for his third successive start on Wednesday. Initial reports suggest that Max Allegri could utilise a 4-2-3-1 for the final, with two pivot spots up for grabs between Miretti, Locatelli, Arthur Melo, Adrien Rabiot and Denis Zakaria.
As for Inter, they, too, have been handed a boost ahead of the game. Star defender Alessandro Bastoni is poised to return to the starting XI after he missed Friday’s comeback win over Empoli with a calf injury.