Report: There’s ‘growing optimism’ Paulo Dybala will be available to play vs. Lyon

Ever since Paulo Dybala got injured against Sampdoria, his health status for Friday’s Champions League showdown with Lyon has gotten a lot of attention. And, rightfully so, seeing as he’s a big part to what Juventus need to do to try and turn around a 1-0 deficit and advance to the quarterfinals in Portugal.

Forty-hours before kickoff in Turin, we know Dybala has yet to train with the group.

But, according to a report out of Italy Wednesday night, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost that Dybala will take part in the proceedings.

According to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, there is “growing optimism” that Dybala will be available for the second leg against Lyon on Friday night. Dybala, who went through a personalized and individual training session both Tuesday and Wednesday, has been under the timetable of “day to day” for the last week and a half ever since he had to be subbed off in the first half of Juve’s Scudetto-clinching win over Sampdoria with a thigh injury.

As far as what we know right now even with Di Marzio’s report from above, Dybala is still a question mark as to whether he will be available to Maurizio Sarri. There’s reported optimism, sure, but there’s also the fact that Dybala hasn’t trained with the group — which is usually a pretty good sign that somebody has returned to full fitness and will be available.

That’s unless Sarri and the Juventus medical staff are just trying to toy with Lyon and say that Dybala is training on the side even though he’s been good to go for the last few days.

For what’s on the record, Juve’s website said this about Dybala on Wednesday: “Paulo Dybala had a personalised training session on the field.”

That’s it. And that’s what we have to go forward with.

I guess the good thing is that none of the reports about Dybala have said that he definitely won’t play against Lyon on Friday. We had the report from the Corriere Torino at the end of the work week last week that said Juve’s “cautiously optimistic” about Dybala being available. Now we have Di Marzio say that there’s “growing optimism” about Dybala being available. That’s better than what we could be hearing — and, honestly, what we first feared — knowing that there hasn’t been much come out about Dybala’s actual status from the club.