Juventus take on Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night without Cristiano Ronaldo as he sits out with his suspension.
The 33-year-old received a red card against Valencia last time out, and so he’ll miss out on this occasion having been handed a one-match ban.
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In turn, Massimiliano Allegri will be forced into shuffling his attacking options with Ronaldo having played a prominent role thus far, but his absence could allow Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic to form a key partnership up top.
As noted below, Juventus could opt for a system change as they revert back to a three-man defence, with Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro providing the defensive coverage and attacking width on the flanks.
That leaves a midfield trio of Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic and Federico Bernardeschi in the central positions while Mandzukic will lead the line as the target man with Dybala undoubtedly linking things between the lines in what is an attacking XI.
Losing Ronaldo is naturally a big blow for the Turin giants, but given the quality and attacking class running through the side, it’s fair to say that they’ve got the required depth to cope with his absence.
They did so at Valencia, and they’ll be hoping that they can make it two wins in two ahead of facing Man Utd in back-to-back clashes.
Dybala bagged his first goal of the season in the win over Bologna last week, and should he get the nod from Allegri in this one, he’ll be desperate to add to his tally and impress.
Sami Khedira has recovered from injury to be named in the squad but it will be a surprise to see him risked from the start, while Douglas Costa and Mattia De Sciglio miss out due to fitness troubles.
Nevertheless, the touted line-up below certainly looks more than capable of securing another positive result without Juve’s marquee summer signing. Given the number of attacking players in that XI, it looks as though Allegri is potentially set to take the game to their rivals.
Probable Juventus XI: Szczesny; Barzagli, Bonucci, Benatia; Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Pjanic, Matuidi, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Mandzukic. (via Sportmediaset)