Andrea Pirlo says Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘fired up’ and ready to go after being rested ahead of Juventus’ Champions League clash with Porto.
Pirlo made the decision to bench the five time Ballon d’Or winner on Saturday, allowing him to play just 21 minutes of football in their 3-1 win over Lazio.
The Juve boss claims the time off has recharged Ronaldo’s batteries and that he ‘can’t wait’ to overturn the 2-1 loss they suffered in the first leg.
Pirlo told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s last-16 encounter in Turin: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo is fine, these are his matches. He’s fired up, he’s been able to rest and can’t wait.’
Pirlo also revealed that Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt should be back in time to face Porto on Tuesday. While Leonardo Bonucci and Arthur – who both came off the bench against Lazio – could even start the game.
Pirlo said: ‘[Giorgio] Chiellini trained with the group today, he feels good and I think he can be available for tomorrow’s game.
‘[Matthijs] De Ligt has worked with the group today just in terms of warm-up, then he did an individual training session.