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Juventus star Blaise Matuidi to miss Champions League clash with Tottenham

The France international has a “muscular problem” and will not feature for the first leg in Turin.

Blaise Matuidi of Juventus FC gestures during the Serie A... Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Juventus will be without another of its key players for the Champions League first leg against Tottenham Hotspur. Manager Massimino Allegri confirmed that France international midfielder Blaise Matuidi will miss the match in Turin with what he calls a “muscular problem” according to Mediaset Premium (via FourFourTwo).

“Blaise Matuidi seems to have a muscular issue, but we have players like Claudio Marchisio and Dybala who are getting closer to fitness. Matuidi won’t be there against Tottenham. Many players are beginning to reach their ideal form.”

The Old Lady is having a bit of an injury crisis, with Paulo Dybala already ruled out for the Champions League clash and Claudio Marchiso only starting to come back to fitness. Benedikt Höwedes is also out, while Douglas Costa is currently listed as “day to day” with a knock. While we never cheer for opposition injuries, going up against a Juventus side without (at minimum) Matuidi and Dybala certainly makes me feel a little better about Spurs’ chances after a bruising string of fixtures.

Meanwhile — knock on wood — Tottenham are as healthy as they’ve been all season heading into Wednesday’s FA Cup replay against Newport County at Wembley Stadium. All of Spurs’ players are in full training and are available for selection, and assuming no players pick up knocks vs Newport or in this weekend’s North London Derby, Spurs should be able to field a very strong side against Juventus in Turin.