Cristiano Ronaldo will be sorely missed by Juventus on Wednesday evening as they welcome Barcelona to the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The Portuguese received another positive COVID-19 test result on Tuesday, ruling him out of action.
In the two weeks he has missed already since contracting the virus, La Vecchia Signora have struggled in Serie A.
There’s no party without Cristiano
Juventus stuttered again on Sunday night against Hellas Verona, extending their wait for a win in Serie A. They’ve drawn the two domestic games he’s missed – away at Crotone as well – though they did win in the Champions League.
But aside from the 3-0 walkover win they were given against Napoli, Juventus haven’t won in three rounds of Serie A, drawing with Verona, Crotone and Roma. The numbers paint a clear picture – Juventus suffer without Cristiano Ronaldo leading their attack.
A bad start
They have just nine points from five rounds of fixtures, which is their second-worst start to a season in the last decade. In Massimiliano Allegri’s second year they had just five points from five games before mounting an incredible comeback to win the title.
Problems against the small teams
Allegri always said that titles were won against the teams in the middle and bottom half of the Serie A table, but those are the sides Juventus have struggled against lately.
Juve have played 14 Serie A matches without Cristiano, winning seven, drawing three and losing four. Without him, they’ve lost against SPAL and Sampdoria and they’ve drawn against Lecce.
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Source: forzaitalianfootball.com