Covid clouds Messi-Ronaldo tie

MILAN: Andrea Pirlo sees positives despite preparing for his biggest match since taking over as Juventus coach with Covid-19 -stricken Cristiano Ronaldo in doubt against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday. Pirlo took over after Maurizio Sarri was sacked immediately after Juve’s last-16 exit to Lyon in August. The Turin side has won the tournament twice, but not since 1996. Juve have been runners-up seven times, including twice in the last five years.

In fact, 41-year-old Pirlo’s last Juve game as a player came in the 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final.

Juventus signed Ronaldo in 2018 with the aim of lifting the coveted European trophy, and his absence against Messi’s Barcelona could weigh heavy. The 35-year-old will need to test negative 24 hours before being allowed to feature in Turin. The return at the Camp Nou is on December 8. We miss him right now, of course,” said teammate Juan Cuadrado.

“He’s a champion. In these very difficult matches, his strength, his mentality and his desire shine through.” Ronaldo scored three goals for Juventus in their first two league games, before contracting the virus while on international duty. Even if Pirlo has yet to record a loss this season, Juventus are fifth in Serie A, with three draws in five games. “Barcelona? It doesn’t worry me, they are two different matches,” said Pirlo after Sunday’s 1-1 stalemate against Hellas Verona.

Man Utd face Leipzig

LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stopped the rot at Manchester United but he must rediscover the winning formula at home as he prepares for Wednesday’s visit of Leipzig. United’s collapse against Spurs in early October plunged the club back into crisis mode as the Norwegian scrambled to fix his broken defence. The sense of panic has receded, with a 4-1 win at Newcastle followed by an 2-1 victory against PSG.