Juventus have been dealt an injury blow as Douglas Costa has been ruled out for at least two weeks after sustaining a thigh issue.
The 29-year-old had a poor season last year as he managed just one goal and two assists in 25 appearances for the Turin giants.
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However, following the arrival of Maurizio Sarri as Massimiliano Allegri’s replacement this summer, the Brazilian international has emerged as a key figure for his new boss in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
Costa has already managed to contribute two assists in three Serie A outings, albeit he lasted just eight minutes at the weekend in the goalless draw with Fiorentina having been forced off with an injury.
After further tests were carried out, Juventus have now confirmed on their official site that Costa will be ruled out for 15 days at which point more checks will be done to determine when he will be able to return to action.
As a result, it’s a real blow for Juventus as with his pace and the different dynamic that he offers in the final third, he would have been a particularly important option to have for Sarri on their trip to Spain to face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Juventus may well have to defend and soak up pressure at the Wanda Metropolitano, and so having Costa’s pace on the counter attack would have been a huge concern for Diego Simeone.
However, he’ll no longer have that to worry about, and so Sarri must come with a solution, while his pacy winger may also miss games against Verona, Brescia and SPAL depending on how severe the issue is and whether or not he can return after the fortnight period passes with no setbacks.
