Paulo Dybala returns to full training ahead of Roma clash

With so little time between one season ending and another one beginning, any kind of “usual” summer recovery time was pretty much thrown out the door. That meant with a lingering injury like Paulo Dybala had following Juve’s elimination from the Champions League, the chances of missing the start of the 2020-21 season were always going to there.

And on Sunday, there was no Dybala on the field against Sampdoria. Maybe during pre-game warmups as he sported a very nice suit while standing next to Matthijs de Ligt, but Juve’s No. 10 wasn’t on the field.

This Sunday, though, that could change.

Juventus announced Wednesday that Dybala has returned to full training with the squad ahead of this weekend’s trip to the Stadio Olimpico to face Roma. Dybala had been injured ever since he tried to come back from the same muscle injury in Juventus’ Champions League Round of 16 elimination game against Lyon in early August. He returned to specialized individual training last week, and come Wednesday he was back with the rest of the squad, increasing the chances that he will be available at least for an appearance off the bench when Juventus face Roma on Sunday night.

From juventus.com:

Juventus continues their preparation of the match against Roma that will see the Bianconeri take to the field at the Olimpico on Sunday evening, and this morning, Paulo Dybala completed full training with the group. The session focused on tactics for the forwards and defenders and then ended with a game.

Also, on the field was Alvaro Morata, who underwent individual training in compliance with the protocols in force. Tomorrow, the team will be back at the JTC, again in the morning, for the third training session of the week.

That’s a Dybala update and then a Morata update all within a few words of one another, folks. It feels like 2015 all over again, folks. (And it’s good to see they are adhering to proper COVID-19 protocols sine Morata is coming from a club that has had a fair share of positive tests in recent weeks — like, you know, the manager! — and has a very, very pregnant wife at home.)

The big thing with Dybala being close to match fitness is getting the chance to see just how Andrea Pirlo deploys him in Juventus’ new 3-4-1-2 formation that made its official debut last Sunday night. While we don’t expect him to play 90 minutes right out of the gate, seeing Dybala as a second-half sub at the Olimpico against a potentially tiring Roma defense is a nice little thought to have entering a couple of back-to-back early-season tests.

Now we just have how the next couple of days of training go and if Pirlo deems his No. 10 ready to go for some playing time this weekend. And if Dybala then gets the green light from his new manager, good times ahead.