Juventus’ star center-back limped off of the pitch only 36 minutes into the bianconeri’s 2-0 Serie A victory over Inter. It was Giorgio Chiellini’s first game back in the lineup after missing three weeks with a calf injury.
Young Daniele Rugani came onto replace the 31-year-old. The move was originally meant to be a precaution, but as Juve are set to face Inter once again in the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg on Wednesday, it appears that they will be without their top defender.
There were questions regarding whether Chiellini was fully fit to play in the match against the nerazzurri on Sunday, but Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri assured fans that the Italian international was fit to play over the weekend in his press conference before Wednesday’s match.
The defending Italian Cup champions may play a central defensive pairing of Rugani and Leonardo Bonucci, as Allegri has already stated that he is resting Andrea Barzagli who has shown incredible form against some of the best strikers in Serie A.
Chiellini missed Juve’s 1-0 victory over Napoli in Week 25 which catapulted them to the top of the Serie A table, as well as a scoreless draw with Bologna a week later.
He was also absent for Juventus’ Champions League last-16 fixture against Bayern Munich in which the bianconeri etched out a 2-2 draw, but the 10-day timeline on his return means that Chiellini should be fit for the second leg in Germany.
This will be crucial as Juve look to capitalize on their come-from-behind draw and move onto the next round of their European competition. For now, though, Juventus must concentrate on seeing through a 3-0 first leg victory in the Coppa Italia over the nerazzurri without arguably their top two defenders.
The post Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini Set to Miss 10 Days appeared first on IFD.
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