Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for COVID-19 once again and will, as a result, miss Wednesday's Champions League group stage encounter with Barcelona. The 35-year-old forward was subjected to a late test to clear the uncertainty surrounding his availability but was unable to confirm his place in the squad with his test result coming back the same.
Ronaldo had laid low in isolation for a couple of weeks now after picking up the virus while on international duty for Portugal earlier this month. After missing a number of games for Juventus, another test on the player on Thursday revealed that he had still not recovered from the virus. This, in turn, put his availability for the much anticipated reunion with Lionel Messi and Barcelona in doubt.
Since leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had not crossed paths with Los Blaugrana. He was expected to finally do so after fate brought his current side and the Catalans together in Group G. However, a final test performed on the player 24 hours before the tie proved to be positive, thereby ruling out any possibility of the player's involvement in Wednesday's crunchy match-up.
Ronaldo's absence will undoubtedly prove crucial to the outcome of the game considering his record against Barcelona. In his 30 El Clasico appearances, the Portuguese attacker managed 18 goals and one assist.
Meanwhile, the Juventus star is said to be under investigation for breaching coronavirus protocols by flying back to Italy while carrying the virus. After receiving criticism from the country's sports minister, the player issued a statement on Instagram to declare his innocence, citing that he travelled back to his house in Italy via a private air ambulance after getting authorization from those in charge.
