Juventus matchday squad: Several key players remain out -

This evening, Juventus will host Benfica at the Allianz stadium in Turin for the second matchday of the Champions League group stage.

While the outcome of the encounter won’t be decisive just yet, it will surely be crucial based on the group’s current status. The Bianconeri lost their opening fixture at Paris, and will mostly likely contend with the Iberians for the runners-up spot.

Unfortunately for Max Allegri, he will be without several of his key players on this big European night.

The club revealed the 21-man squad available at the coach’s disposal, and aside from long-term absentees like Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba, Allegri will also miss the services of Wojciech Szczesny, Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli and Alex Sandro who recently joined the ever-growing list of absentees.

However, there were some positive news for Juventus thanks to the return of Angel Di Maria. The Argentine veteran will likely feature as a super-sub against his former employers.

To make up for the absentees, the technical staff included three youngsters in the squad. They are Juventus Next Gen goalkeeper Giovanni Garofani, promising fullback Tommaso Barbieri and and young forward Matias Soulé who has become a regular feature with the first team.