Cristiano Ronaldo injury update: Juventus star set to miss clash against Atalanta

Juventus star forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of tonight's game against Atalanta with a flexor muscle injury.

Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo confirmed the Portuguese international's absence in the pre-match press conference-

“We have an important absentee. Unfortunately, Cristiano will not be taking part in the match due to a problem with his flexor.”

Pirlo continued:

“Over these past few days he has not been able to recover from the problem sustained after last Sunday’s match against Genoa. He hasn’t been able to push himself this week."

"It would be too risky for us to bring him to Bergamo tomorrow. We have decided to leave him in Turin to rest and we will try to have him back for Wednesday’s match against Parma.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been a key contributor for Juventus in the 2020/21 season, netting 25 goals in the league. He leads the Serie A charts in terms of goals. The only players in touching distance to CR7 in the list are Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku and Atlanta's Luis Muriel.

Both these players have played more games than the former Real Madrid man, which shows how ruthless Cristiano Ronaldo has been in front of goal.

🎙| Pirlo press conference recap: -Cristiano will miss the game, flexor problem. -Dybala will start -Cuadrado will start either on wing or at right back-Arthur & McKennie are fine in contention to start. -Bonucci is doing a specific work program to get back to top form. pic.twitter.com/iPIvohmq6X

— JuveFC (@juvefcdotcom) April 17, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus might miss out on the Seria A title this year

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in Serie A this season

36-time domestic champions Juventus are currently third in the Serie A standings, 12 points behind league leaders Inter Milan. They have enjoyed mixed form recently, winning three of their last 5 matches. They have lost and drawn a game from each of the other two.

However, the Bianconeri will have to be at their best in the final stretch of the season if they want to put pressure on Inter and give themselves a chance of a comeback. Tonight's game will pit them against a strong Atalanta side, who are just one point behind them in fourth.

🤯 Sensational @Cristiano Ronaldo header against Roma in 2008!@ManUtd | #UCL pic.twitter.com/PkLGXRh0DY

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 15, 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo's unavailability for the game against Atalanta means a start for Argentine forward Paulo Dybala is on the cards. The Argentine, who hasn't been a part of the starting XI for more than three months, will want to take this chance to prove his worth.

He will have to play alongside Spanish striker Alvaro Morata, who leads the assists chart in the league with 9 contributions.

Juventus have now won the league 9 times in a row but risk losing it around with Inter Milan in a far more advantageous situation this season.