Mario Mandzukic has been left out of the Juventus squad travelling to Tottenham Hotspur for their Champions League last-16 decider on Wednesday night, but Gonzalo Higuain has made the 21-man squad.
Mandzukic has been left behind in Turin because of a thigh injury which he has failed to shake off in time, causing coach Massimiliano Allegri to reconsider his starting XI for the Wembley Stadium meeting.
The Croatian had been expected to start alongside Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa in a front three, but Allegri will now have to assess the fitness of Higuain, who has missed Juve’s past two fixtures with an ankle injury, before making up his mind.
? @ChampionsLeague SQUAD LIST | @OfficialAllegri names a 21-man squad to face @SpursOfficial.#TOTJuve #TOGETHER #UCL pic.twitter.com/Cck6MM6kO6
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) March 6, 2018
Should Higuain be considered fit enough to start, he could feature in a three-man attack with Dybala and Costa, otherwise Kwadwo Asamoah or Stefano Sturaro could be alternatives in a wide position.
Higuain scored both Juve goals and missed a penalty in the 2-2 draw in the first leg. Mattia De Sciglio, who had also been rated doubtful, has also made the squad and is likely to start ahead of Stephan Lichtsteiner at right-back.
Ben Gladwell reports on Serie A, the Italian national team and the Bundesliga for ESPN FC, UEFA and the Press Association. @UEFAcomBenG.