Cristiano Ronaldo Ruled Out for Juventus vs. Barcelona in Champions League

The Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi Champions League showdown will have to wait.

Ronaldo has been ruled out for Juventus's group stage clash vs. Barcelona on Wednesday, as he has not yet tested negative for the coronavirus. Ronaldo tested positive while on international duty with Portugal on Oct. 13, and he has been in isolation in Turin upon returning to Italy. All subsequent updates have described Ronaldo as asymptomatic, and Ronaldo himself posted on Instagram Wednesday that he was feeling "good and healthy." (And in his own comments section tacked on that "PCR is bull****" referring to the test for the virus.)

Nevertheless, until he tests negative, he can't train or play, so the development is not all that surprising, even if it may come as a disappointment to both partisan and neutral fans. Ever since the group draw that pitted Juventus and Barcelona against one another, there has been plenty of anticipation of Ronaldo and Messi sharing the field again. They haven't since Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus, and the two generational superstars haven't faced off on the Champions League stage since the 2010-11 semifinals.

They still have an opportunity to later in the group stage, with Barcelona due to host Juventus on Dec. 8.

Ronaldo has already missed two Serie A matches, a pair of 1-1 draws against Crotone and Hellas Verona, with the dropped points putting the club four points off the pace set by AC Milan through five games. He also missed the club's Champions League-opening win over Dynamo Kiev, a 2-0 victory in which Alvaro Morata scored twice.