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Champions League: Juventus to face Barcelona without Cristiano Ronaldo

Champions League: Juventus to face Barcelona without Cristiano Ronaldo

Oct 28, 2020
03:26 pm

What's the story

Matchday two of the UEFA Champions League started on Tuesday with Group A to D in action. And tonight, we have more matches coming our way (Group E to H). The biggest spectacle is set to be Juventus' clash against Barcelona. However, the highly anticipated match-up between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not be on offer. Here are further details.

Ronaldo

Ronaldo set to miss the game against Barcelona

Ronaldo has reportedly not recovered from the coronavirus in time to face the Spanish giants in a crucial Group G encounter. Italian media reports have claimed that Ronaldo's latest test was still positive for COVID-19 on the eve of his side's match. In Ronaldo's place, Alvaro Morata will start against Barca. Morata had scored a brace in their opening UCL encounter against Dynamo Kyiv.

COVID-19

Ronaldo had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month

Earlier this month, Ronaldo had tested positive for the novel coronavirus while being on international duty with Portugal. The legendary footballer was dropped from the country's Nations League match against Sweden as the rest of the squad tested negative. According to AP, the Portuguese soccer federation said Ronaldo was doing well and had no symptoms.

#JUVBAR

Juventus vs Barcelona: What to expect?

Both sides won on matchday one to collect three points each. Juve beat Kyiv 2-0, whereas, Barca got past Ferencvaros 5-1. All eyes will be on Lionel Messi, who had earlier scripted a record on matchday one. Meanwhile, both sides will want to bounce back after poor shows in their respective domestic league games over the weekend. It's expected to be a tight battle.

Info

Timing, TV listing, venue and Dream11 team prediction

The match is set to start at 1:30 AM IST on Thursday. One can watch it live on the Sony Ten Network and stream the same on Sony LIV app (paid subscription). Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin. Dream11 team prediction (4-2-3-1): Neto; Cuadrado, Bonucci, Dest, Alba; Kulusevski, De Jong; Messi, Ramsey, Fati (c), Morata.

Information

Predicted line-ups: Juventus vs Barcelona

Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Demiral, Cuadrado; Rabiot, Arthur, Ramsey; Kulusevksi, Morata, Chiesa. Barcelona: Neto; Dest, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets; Griezmann, Pedri, Fati; Messi.

Twitter Post

Ronaldo to miss Barcelona tie