OPINION: The omission of Dybala and Morata from Juventus’ tie with Chelsea has let Tuchel off the hook in what has reduced the chances of triggering a fatal downwards spiral in form
Thomas Tuchel has been handed a massive boost ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Juventus following the declaration that two star-studded profiles will be out due to injury.
The Blues will continue to lick their wounds from the defeat to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge and will be looking to reinvigorate themselves ahead of their Champions League title defence.
Chelsea house Zenit, Malmo and Juventus in Group H which saw the west Londoners defeat the Russian outfit on the opening matchday, while the Italians defeated Swedish.
However, despite Malmo posing as a banana skin tie, Massimiliano Allegri’s Old Lady poses as Tuchel’s direct threat to finishing top of the pile.
But, in what would have originally been perceived as the last tough clash before a run of feasible fixtures, Chelsea may find themselves recuperating a lot quicker than usual standing them in good stead for the Premier League’s return.
Allegri confirmed following the Juventus’ 3-2 win over Sampdoria that Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata will ‘certainly’ miss the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Dybala opened the scoring for the Old Lady, symbolising his gradual reinvigoration back to full form having often be shunned into the shadows throughout Cristiano Ronaldo’s tenure. Speaking to Sky Sports Italia after the game, the Bianconeri boss confirmed the pair’s absences: “Dybala and Morata certainly won’t play against Chelsea or Torino. That is for certain.
“We can only hope that we get them back after the break for international duty. This is part of the game, we have to keep going.”
Chelsea’s rightful boost in confidence following Dybala’s ruling serves as a testament to the Argentine’s excellent technical ability to craft and bury goals with his wand of a left-foot.
With Morata out too, the pair’s omission will come as a massive blow for the Italian outfit and likely hamper their ability to convert and create chances.
But, their injuries have served Tuchel a warning message should he look to juggle both the league and European royalty during the week.
With the duo out of action the Blues can now begin to view the tie as a more prosperous fixture, boosting their confidence ahead of eight clashes across all competitions that all Chelsea fans will be expecting six to seven wins from.
The ties that follow Juventus’ welcoming to Stamford Bridge are clashes with Southampton – in the league and Carabao Cup – Brentford, Malmo back-to-back, Norwich, Newcastle and Burnley. Although the clash with Juventus remains a tough bout, Chelsea have been let off the hook in some respects and have been handed a slight leeway to use as a catalyst for redemption following the loss to City.
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