Cristiano Ronaldo will not make an appearance for Juventus in Tuesday’s Serie A clash against Brescia.
Ronaldo was left out of a 20-man squad for the trip midweek trip to Stadio Mario Rigamonti due to ‘slight fatigue in the adductor’, according to the club, having played three times in the space of a week.
The Portugal international played every minute of the league games against Fiorentina and Hellas Verona, with a 2-2 Champions League draw away at Atletico Madrid sandwiched in between.
Juve boss Maurizio Sarri had confirmed during his pre-match press conference that the 34-year-old was a doubt .
While Giorgio Chiellini, Mattia De Sciglio and Douglas Costa all remain sidelined, Gonzalo Higuain is included in the squad list.
The striker suffered a facial injury following his second-half introduction during the 2-1 triumph over Verona on Saturday, though he did not break any bones in his nose and could feature in the clash with Brescia.
Juventus have posted three wins and a draw in four Serie A outings so far this season, leaving them two points behind leaders Inter in the table.
Inter – who along with Juve and Roma are yet to lose in the league this season – host Lazio on Wednesday, with third-placed Napoli playing Cagliari at Stadio San Paolo.
“I want to see the current conditions. Ronaldo yesterday (Sunday) had a little muscle fatigue but it is quite normal after three games in seven days,” Sarri told a press conference on Monday.
“We’ll see if it is necessary or not for someone to rest. It’s important that we have continuity in this moment, but there are also other factors to consider.
“We’ll have to make some evaluations.”
The Portuguese forward has contributed two goals and one assist in five appearances for his club this season, but missed out on The Best FIFA Men’s Player award to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi on Monday.
Ronaldo had won the award in 2016 and 2017, having guided Real Madrid to successive Champions League crowns, before Luka Modric then took home the trophy in 2018 following yet another Champions League triumph for the club.
