Serie A giants Juventus has revealed the real reason why Cristiano Ronaldo's was amiss from the Wednesday's matchday squad for the cup clash with Udinese. The Bianconeri disclosed ahead of the encounter that the Portuguese striker was down with an illness, hence the need to sideline him.
After finishing last season on a high, Ronaldo has once again hit the ground running with a series of impressive performances for the Old Ladies. In his 23 appearances in all competitions this season, the 34-year-old striker has registered 16 goals - nine of which were scored in his last six appearances for the club.
The player's red-hot form follows a tough period in November 2019 where a knee injury gave his manager Maurizio Sarri enough reason to substitute him in games on two separate occasions. Despite the Italian manager recently confirming that the former Real Madrid talisman is currently injury-free, he was diagnosed with the condition that causes swelling of the tissue lining the sinuses ahead of the Coppa Italia tie with Udinese.
"Cristiano Ronaldo was struck by a bout of sinusitis this afternoon and will not be present at the Allianz Stadium for tonight's match," the club tweeted.
Cristiano Ronaldo was struck by a bout of sinusitis this afternoon and will not be present at the Allianz Stadium for tonight's match.#JuveUdinese #CoppaItalia
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 15, 2020
In Ronaldo's absence, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala were paired in attack with Douglas Costa completing the attacking trident in Sarri's 4-3-3 setup. Meanwhile, Juve's No. 7 is expected to be available for January 19th Serie A fixture with Parma.
