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Juventus Projected Lineup vs Bologna: Cristiano Ronaldo looks to add to goal tally

By John Vaccaro

23rd September 2018, Stadio Benito Stirpe, Frosinone, Italy; Serie A football, Frosinone versus Juventus; Federico Bernardeschi of Juventus celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring a goal in the 94th minute (photo by Giampiero Sposito/Action Plus via Getty Images)
23rd September 2018, Stadio Benito Stirpe, Frosinone, Italy; Serie A football, Frosinone versus Juventus; Federico Bernardeschi of Juventus celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring a goal in the 94th minute (photo by Giampiero Sposito/Action Plus via Getty Images) /
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VALENCIA, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 19: Jose Luis Gaya of Valencia competes for the ball with Joao Cancelo of Juventus during the Group H match of the UEFA Champions League between Valencia and Juventus at Estadio Mestalla on September 19, 2018 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
VALENCIA, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 19: Jose Luis Gaya of Valencia competes for the ball with Joao Cancelo of Juventus during the Group H match of the UEFA Champions League between Valencia and Juventus at Estadio Mestalla on September 19, 2018 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) /

LB: Joao Cancelo

This will be an interesting experiment. We’ve yet to see Cancelo play on the left and I honestly have no idea how comfortable he is doing so. The problem is, Juve doesn’t really have another option in this match. Alex Sandro has yet to get a match off this season and this is probably the best opportunity Juve will get to rest him. Injuries to Leonardo Spinazzola and Mattia De Sciglio have left Juve without any full back available on the bench, so for now they need to get creative to give Cancelo and Sandro days off. In this match that will mean playing both Cancelo and Cuadrado (more on him in a second) out of position.

If there was ever a time to see how Cancelo can perform on the left it’s this match. Bologna’s attack has been pretty ineffective so far this season. Cancelo and Cuadrado won’t be punished for any positional errors in this match like they would against even a mid-table team. There’s also the added benefit of testing this at home where Juve has been absolutely dominant since moving into their new stadium. It could be an awkward match for Cancelo, but it will ensure both he and Sandro are available for the big match on Saturday.

RB: Juan Cuadrado

Cuadrado’s performance against Frosinone didn’t make me any more comfortable with him playing this position. He showed against Parma that he is a defensively liability as a left back, but against Frosinone he didn’t even provide a boost to the attack. That performance made it really difficult to see what his value is in this position going forward other than allowing the starting full backs to rest. This match is a good opportunity for him to bounce back as Juve should once again be in complete control of the match. Hopefully he adds something to the attack in this match because Juve looked like they could’ve really used it in the last match.

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