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Just when it seemed that the Old Lady were going to receive a respite from the injury bug that has hit the team since the start of the season, they've been hit another wave of them.
Joining the already missing Roberto Pereyra and Kwadwo Asamoah — who are both, thankfully, back in training and on their way back — Sami Khedira (who missed the game over the weekend with Milan due to a muscle problem) and Martin Caceres (who picked up a thigh strain on international duty) are fullback Patrice Evra and midfielder Hernanes.
The French veteran picked up a sprained ankle against Milan, while the Brazilian came off on Saturday after feeling discomfort in his right thigh. Subsequent tests have confirmed a first-grade tear in the adductor longus muscle in the trequartista's right thigh. He is expected to miss the next three weeks.
There is unlikely to be many tears shed over Hernanes' pending absence. The player nicknamed Il Profeta (The Prophet), has been nothing short of...uh...underwhelming, and that's being polite. He's been slow and meandering when on the ball, and has not provided any kind of guile or creative spark to the Bianconeri's attacking play. Hernanes has not provided any goals or assists in his eleven Juve appearances to date.
Now with the absences of Hernanes and the aforementioned Pereyra, Max Allegri will likely be choosing between the 4-3-3 (with Juan Cuadrado most likely to replace Hernanes) and 3-5-2 (which he switched to at half time against Milan) formations.
As for the other absentees, Evra, Khedira and Caceres are being monitored closely on a day-to-day basis, as a timeline for their returns have not yet been determined. Evra and Khedira will surely be missed in the key matchup against Manchester City, both for their ability and the experience they bring to what could be a tense game. Juventus have not yet sealed their passage to the last sixteen, and while Citeh has, they will be targeting revenge for the loss that was inflicted on them by Juventus at the Etihad, and simultaneously wrapping up first place.