Sami Khedira has been left behind in Turin to undergo tests on a heart problem which emerged on Tuesday, and which sees him miss Juventus’ Champions League round-of-16 clash with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
The German midfielder complained of a cardiac arrhythmia as Juve trained in Turin on Tuesday morning before flying out to Madrid, and the club’s medical department have preferred to keep him under observation.
His absence was confirmed by Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri, who told Sky Sport Italia that he would probably have been picked at the Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday.
“He was getting back into a great physical condition so we could have done without this, but our other midfielders are all of great calibre,” said Allegri, who also confirmed that Paulo Dybala will start.
Dybala scored his first goal in Serie A since November in the 3-0 win over Frosinone on Friday night and Allegri says he would welcome more on Wednesday night.
“As I’ve said in the past, we’ve got to score,” Allegri said at a news conference. “I wouldn’t sign for a draw. What I’ve told the lads is how important it is that we score tomorrow — and it would be better if we get a few. “[Winning] the Champions League’s not an obligation, it’s an objective which often depends on getting breaks, for or against you.
“Having Cristiano Ronaldo is an advantage, but it’s not enough just to have him; you’re not guaranteed to win it because of him, but he does give you more possibility. We need to play a great game as a team.”