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Juventus Leaves Emre Can, Mario Mandzukic Out of Champions League Squad

Neither player was able to secure a transfer or loan away from Juventus, which beefed up its squad this summer.
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Juventus stars Emre Can and Mario Mandžukić have been left out of the club's 22-man squad of this season's Champions League.

Juventus were frantically looking to slim their squad down throughout the summer but were only able to offload a handful of first-team players, instead starting the season with a bigger squad after making eight new signings.

Can and Mandžukić have now paid the price for Juve's inflated squad after being left out of the club's official 22-man squad for the Champions League this season.

Giorgio Chiellini has been left out after picking up a long-term injury, but the Bianconeri have included new signings Matthijs de Ligt, Danilo, Merih Demiral, Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey and Gianluigi Buffon.

Juventus have been drawn into Group D alongside European heavyweights Atlético Madrid, while Peter Bosz's Bayer Leverkusen and Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow are also in their group.

Although they're expected to make it out of the group and into the knockout stages of the Champions League, Juventus proved last year against Ajax that they're prone to becoming complacent in Europe's elite competition.

The Serie A champions first match will be on the road to Atléti shortly after the international break, while they'll then host both Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv to complete their opening three matches in the Champions League.

Throughout the first half of the group stages, Juventus will face tough tests in the league as they look to win another Scudetto, including away at Inter, Lazio and city rivals Torino.

Maurizio Sarri's side have already edged past Napoli this season thanks to a last-minute own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly, but they're joined at the top of the table with Antonio Conte's Inter as well as Torino.