Cristiano Ronaldo in, Giorgio Chiellini out for Juventus UCL Squad vs. Ajax
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Juventus' 21-man squad to face Ajax in the first leg of their quarterfinal Champions League clash against Ajax on Wednesday, while Giorgio Chiellini has been left out.
Ronaldo's inclusion in the squad had been in doubt after he missed Juventus' previous four games in Serie A due to a hamstring injury he picked up on international duty with Portugal, most recently sitting out as his teammates secured a narrow 2-1 win over Empoli at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
After Ronaldo underwent specialist physiotherapy in Turin in order to be fit for the game against Ajax on Wednesday, Juventus have now confirmed that the 33-year-old is in the squad to face the Dutch outfit - although it is yet to be seen whether the he will be included in the starting XI.
In his last Champions League outing, Ronaldo was in typically imperious form, netting a spectacular hat trick as Juventus overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Atletico Madrid. Prior to that, he had only been able to find the back of the net once in Europe.
If Juventus are to overcome Ajax, then they will be forced to do so without Chiellini, who will miss the first leg after sustaining a calf injury during the final preparations for Wednesday's game.
Martin Caceres is also set to miss out, which means that Daniele Rugani is expected to fill in for the club captain. The 24-year-old has only made two Champions League appearances so far this season, after falling back down the pecking order following the return of Leonardo Bonucci from Milan.
