Pirlo confirms Ronaldo’s strike partner for Udinese trip

Ahead of Juventus’ trip to Udinese on Sunday, Pirlo gave an update on the squad and confirmed Ronaldo’s strike partner.

Paulo Dybala will partner Cristiano Ronaldo for the third consecutive Serie A match in Sunday’s visit to Udinese.

Despite scoring the equalizer in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Fiorentina, Alvaro Morata won’t make the line-up. The Spaniard has a calf problem and is a doubt for the match itself.

“Ronaldo will play with Dybala because Morata is not in a good condition,” said Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo in a pre-match conference on Saturday afternoon.

“He had a problem yesterday with his calf muscle, and we’ll evaluate his condition today. We will decide whether to bring him to Udine with us tomorrow.”

Chiesa unlikely to start

After missing the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, Pirlo confirmed Danilo and Federico Chiesa are available for selection.

But Chiesa, who has missed the club’s last two games due to a hamstring injury, hasn’t returned to group training. A spot on the bench, therefore, is his most likely option if Pirlo recalls him.

Midfielders Arthur Melo and Aaron Ramsey are doubts for the Udinese match, but Dejan Kulusevski could make his first start in three league games.

“Danilo is fine, Federico Chiesa less so, as he trained separately from the group this week,” said Pirlo.

“He is not at 100 percent yet, and it’d be risky to start him tomorrow.

“Arthur only trained with the team yesterday due to another problem, Ramsey is still separate. We’ve had a few issues. Kulusevski trained with his teammates all week and could start.”