In their first friendly of the winter break, Juventus played Arsenal in the absence of the eleven players who participated in the World Cup.
Moreover, Max Allegri wasn’t able to count on the services of Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa. The Frenchman is yet to take the field since sustaining a meniscus injury last July.
For his part, the Italian had made his return to the pitch, but took a knock in training earlier in the week. Although it was only a slight one, it was enough to cause a scare for Bianconeri fans considering the club’s recent injury record.
Following the win over the Gunners, Max Allegri provided some updates regarding the conditions of Chiesa, Pogba and the rest the club’s absentees.
While the manager spoke in a reassuring tone regarding the winger’s condition, he had no comforting words to say on the midfielder’s injury, opting against making predictions over a possible return date.
“Chiesa is just tired, but it’s normal when one returns after nine months of inactivity,” said Allegri in his post-match interview with Sky Sport.
“I preferred not to risk him, but he will be back on December 27 with the rest of the team.
“Unfortunately, Pogba hasn’t trained yet, so I don’t know when or how he will return. We must not put on a theater for a player who hasn’t yet run a meter.
“Bonucci shouldn’t be out for long. Cuadrado will be there on December 27. He and De Sciglio should both be back ahead of the restart against Cremonese on January 4.”
