Injuries have left Juventus so threadbare up front that Ciro Ferrara is prepared to give Filippo Boniperti his first team debut against Inter this evening.
The 18-year-old striker is the grandson of Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti. He plays for the club's youth team along with Italy's Under-19s.
An outbreak of the flu has decimated the Bianconeri's squad, forcing Alessandro Del Piero to train alone in the gym for much of yesterday.
January signing Antonio Candreva, Felipe Melo, Momo Sissoko and Paolo De Ceglie have all contracted the virus, leaving Ferrara short of options in general.
David Trezeguet is still in the treatment room, along with Seba Giovinco and Vincenzo Iaquinta who has yet to recover from knee surgery.
Ciro Immobile, the latest striker to graduate from the Primavera is also out, so Boniperti will almost certainly debut at San Siro in the Coppa Italia Quarter-Final.
“It hasn't been easy with a surname like mine, but it has helped me to double my efforts and energy on the pitch. I study and I am in line with the training programmes, but then again I have only focused on football since I was a child,” Filippo said.
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