Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly targeting a return to action for Juventus against Barcelona in the Champions League – but he faces a race against time to be available.
As the BBC reported yesterday, Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 while away on international duty with Portugal.
The 35-year-old will now have to self-isolate during his recovery period, even though he has an asymptomatic case of the virus.
That rules him out of action for Juventus this weekend, as well as their opening Champions League group stage fixture next week.
MORE: Fernandes, Pogba and Martial may have to self-isolate for Man United after Ronaldo tested positive for Covid-19
However, Ronaldo has one eye on returning for their second Champions League group game against old foes Barcelona, according to El Chiringuito.
?¡NOTICIA de @EduAguirre7!?
“CRISTIANO está BIEN y cree que JUGARÁ contra el BARÇA”. #ElChiringuitoDeMega pic.twitter.com/T4LKXqYM9b
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) October 14, 2020
That may well be the case, and there’s little doubt that Ronaldo would be in sufficient physical condition to feature, but UEFA’s COVID regulations could rule him out of the fixture.
As outlined by Goal, Ronaldo needs to provide a negative test at least seven days before Juventus’ clash with Barcelona in order to be deemed available to play.
That gives CR7 until next Wednesday, a week today, to be able to test negative for COVID-19 if he wishes to feature against Barcelona and competitive rival Lionel Messi.
For football’s sake, we hope he can do it.