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Juventus projected lineup vs Manchester United: Ronaldo returns to Old Trafford

By John Vaccaro

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus FC) celebrates after scoring during the Serie A football match between Juventus FC and Genoa CFC at Allianz Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Turin, Italy.Final results: 1-1. (Photo by Massimiliano Ferraro/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus FC) celebrates after scoring during the Serie A football match between Juventus FC and Genoa CFC at Allianz Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Turin, Italy.Final results: 1-1. (Photo by Massimiliano Ferraro/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 25: Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus competes for the ball with Ciro Immobile of SS Lazio during the serie A match between Juventus and SS Lazio on August 25, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 25: Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus competes for the ball with Ciro Immobile of SS Lazio during the serie A match between Juventus and SS Lazio on August 25, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images) /

CB: Giorgio Chiellini

It’ll be nice to see the captain’s armband back where it belongs on Tuesday. Giorgio Chiellini’s presence was badly missed on Saturday against Genoa as the traitor who was named captain in his absence (see below) was a major disappointment when given the ill-advised opportunity to lead the team. On the other hand, Chiellini always makes Juve better when he is on the pitch. At 34 years old he remains one of the world’s best center backs. Juve fans will be glad to see him back in the starting 11 as Juve will need him to stop Romelu Lukaku from becoming the first player to score against them in the Champions League this season. These are the matches Juve’s captain lives for and he surely won’t disappoint on Tuesday.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci

I know that Leonardo Bonucci is going to start in this position, but as I started to write this article I couldn’t help but wonder if Juve would be better off with Medhi Benatia. The Bonucci that Juve brought back from Milan isn’t quite the one fans got used to during his previous run with the team. He has had a few glaring blunders this season and the spectacular passes he made in the past don’t seem to come quite as often anymore.

At this point Benatia may actually be the more capable defender. However, there’s no doubt that we will be seeing Bonucci in this role on Tuesday. He will need to be much better than he was against Genoa or Lukaku will feast against Juve. If he really does want to hear Juve fans sing his name again then Bonucci will need to perform like he was worth losing Caldara and Higuain sometime soon.

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