Ronaldo set to make Juventus debut against Chievo
Milan: cristiano ron aldo will make his much-anticipated Serie A debut forju vent us who open their campaign for an eighth straight Italian league title on Saturday against a sombre backdrop of a country in mourning following the Genoa bridge disaster.
The five-time Ballon d’or winner was the star signing of the summer season arriving amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100 million euro ($117 million) deal from Real Madrid.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri confirmed on Friday that Ronaldo was eager to play in Serie A since his transfer.
He has appeared in two warm-up friendlies for Juventus but did not travel with the team to the United States.
“I didn’t give Ronaldo any advice. He’s very intrigued to understand how teams play in Italy,” said Allegri as Juventus begin their campaign on Saturday.
“Ronaldo will make his debut. (Wojciech)-szczesny,( giorgio) chiellini, (Leonardo) Bonucci and (Miralem) Pjanic will play and the two full-backs on each side will be (Joao) Cancelo and Alex Sandro.
“Everyone is in good condition, even (Mario) Mandzukic and (Blaise) Matuidi, who both went all the way to the final in the World Cup.”
But Allegri warned his team not to rely too much on the Portuguese superstar as they target an eighth straight Serie A title.
“It’s time to put aside the excitement of the arrival of great players and the greatest of all, we have to keep our feet on the ground, keep a low profile,” continued Allegri.
But it could be a low-key start for the 33-year-old Portuguese superstar against minnows Chievo in Verona’s Stadio Bentegodi on Saturday on a day of national mourning for the victims of the Morandi bridge tradegy in the north-western port city.
The emotional impact of the disaster has led to the postponement of Serie A games involving local teams Sampdoria and Genoa who had been due to open their campaigns against Fiorentina and AC Milan.
Much is expected of Ronaldo’s presence in the Italian league this season after the low of Italy missing out on qualifying for the World Cup in Russia.
“He’s going to raise the level of the championship,” said Italian football legend Dino Zoff.
MARCHISIO CALLS TIME
Italian international midfielder Claudio Marchisio has called time on his Juventus career after 25 years spent with the Turin giants.
The 32-year-old, nicknamed The Little Prince, joined his hometown club at the age of seven and won seven Serie A titles and four Italian Cups.
Juventus agreed to terminate the 55-times capped Italian international’s contract by “mutual consent” before Friday’s transfer deadline in Italy.
“A thousand thoughts and a thousand images accompanied me throughout the night,” wrote Marchisio in an Instagram post accompanied by a photo that showed him playing for a Juventus youth team as a child.
“I can’t stop looking at this photograph and those stripes on which I wrote my life story as a man and a player.”