As Juventus prepare for a difficult away trip to Bologna, their manager Massimiliano Allegri has indicated that he could rest Paulo Dybala on Friday, ahead of the crucial Champions League clash against Bayern Munich in the midweek.
Dybala has been a revelation for the Bianconeri this season, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in Juve’s bid to win the Scudetto for a fifth year in a row. However, Allegri suggested that he may consider resting Dybala ahead of crucial games against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the coming weeks.
Instead, he start out-of-form striker Alvaro Morata along with Simone Zaza up front against Bologna. Zaza came on from the bench against Napoli last weekend and scored the solitary goal in a hugely significant 1-0 win, and he may now be rewarded with a start against the Rossoblu.
“Dybala’s played the most out of anyone and has run his socks off. He’s had two to three days to recover and trained well yesterday, but he won’t necessarily start tomorrow’s game,” Allegri was quoted as saying by Juventus’s official website. “I could go with Morata and Zaza as my pairing, giving me an important option from the bench in Paulo.”
Allegri saving Chiellini for bigger games
Georgio Chiellini is undoubtedly one of the most influential players that Juventus have, and that is exactly why Allegri does not want to risk playing him in the Friday night encounter. With matches against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan coming up, Allegri would want the 31-year-old’s experience and composure in the defence against bigger oppositions.
“Mandzukic will be back with us on Saturday, while we’ll see if Chiellini makes it for Tuesday. We don’t want to risk rushing him back too quickly,” said Allegri, who also hinted that Argentine winger Roberto Pereyra could get a start in the match, but will not play for the whole 90 minutes.
“Pereyra doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs just yet. I’m confident he could give us 65 to 70, or be a strong option as a substitute.”
Bologna pose a tough challenge for Juventus
The Rossoblu have been guided quite well by former Italy and Napoli manager Roberto Donadoni, and are trying to break into the top half of the table at the moment. Allegri might be holding back some of his top players in this match, but Bologna are a side that have shown that they can hunt down the big teams when they need to.
Wins against Napoli and AC Milan are ample proof of the fact that Bologna can be the league’s giant killers when they are in the mood. Also, Juventus do not have a big enough lead at the top of the table to risk dropping points at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, with Napoli breathing down their necks. As such, this is not a match that the Bianconeri can take lightly.
