Cristiano Ronaldo News: "Good signs", Allegri positive about starting Ronaldo vs Ajax in Champions League

What is the story?

Massimiliano Allegri has said that Cristiano Ronaldo could make his return from injury in the first leg fixture against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.

In case you didn’t know...

Cristiano Ronaldo fired Juventus to the quarterfinals of the Champions League by scoring an incredible hat-trick against Atletico Madrid to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg.

They will face Ajax FC on Wednesday in Amsterdam. Ajax knocked out the mighty Real Madrid in the round of 16. Juventus will be the favourites going into the fixture and are touted to eventually lift the trophy after losing two finals in 2015 and 2017.

After winning seven consecutive Scudettos, conquering Europe will be the Old Lady’s ultimate aim. This dream saw them uncharacteristically shell out a reported €100 million for the 32-year-old. And the Portuguese has repaid the faith placed in him by putting in match-winning performances, scoring 24 goals and providing another 12 assists in 36 appearances this season so far.

The heart of the matter

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner picked up a muscle injury in the international break and thus had to miss games against Empoli, Cagliari, and Ac Milan. But according to Bleacher Report, his manager has hinted that Ronaldo could make a comeback against Ajax:

“He is better. We’re five days away from the game and there are good signs, he is doing everything to be there, we hope he will be available with Ajax,”

A five-time Champions League winner, and a holder of numerous records, the Portuguese will be undoubtedly key to landing Juve their third Champions League title, and first since they won it back in 1996.

Ronaldo always comes into his own in the latter stages of this competition and has a knack for scoring crucial goals in crunch situations as he has done with remarkable consistency over the years. Allegri will hope that his star player soon returns to full fitness and is ready to go, ahead of this defining period of the season.

What’s next?

Juventus faces Ajax this Wednesday before both teams meet again in Turin for the second leg on April 16.