Report: Juventus optimistic that Paulo Dybala will start against Barcelona

What went through your mind when you first saw Paulo Dybala be tackled by Sulley Muntari on Saturday afternoon? Probably something close to a combination of absolute worry, a couple of cuss words and then thoughts about who Juventus just so happens to be playing in just a few days after what proved to be a 2-0 win over Pescara.

So yeah, it wasn’t exactly the same kind of happy thoughts that we had when Dybala and his left foot capable of magic were doing wonderful things against Barcelona a couple of days earlier.

But according to reports out of Italy on Sunday, Juventus are not just thinking good thoughts about Dybala’s status for Wednesday night’s trip to Spain to face Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, but they’re also rather optimistic about No. 21’s chances of starting the latest biggest game of the season.

After being subbed out due to a foul by Muntari, there were doubts about whether he would be fit ahead of the match against Barcelona. Today the player presented himself at Vinovo to begin therapy. He wore a small ankle brace without taking to the pitch. A positive signal is that the Argentine forward did not undergo any diagnostic tests (which is typical for non-serious injuries). Dybala will probably resume training in the upcoming hours in order to be ready to start against Barcelona.

(Source: Gianluca Di Marzio)

Considering there was no official on Easter Sunday about Dybala’s health status posted on the Juventus website, this is the best we can go with. As much as Max Allegri was optimistic about the injury to Dybala after the Pescara win two days ago, there will be a lingering thought about La Joya’s injury status until we hear something from the club themselves.

But hey, optimism is good — even if it’s just from a relatively reliable source in the Italian media. It’s a lot better than pessimism or just flat out negative thoughts. It certainly is good to hear that the press is reporting that the possibility of Dybala playing rather than him being out for a couple of weeks and we’re left sweating his status going into any further Champions League games if Juventus do in fact advance on Wednesday night. So, feel free to spread the optimism. Maybe Paulo will hear of it.