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Juventus could go into a period of seven games in 22 days without midfielder Arturo Vidal, who is struggling with a thigh injury. - Pogba set for bumper new Juventus deal?
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- Juve enquired about PSG's Motta - agent Vidal, 27, returned from international duty with Chile with the problem, placing his participation in Juve's Serie A clash with Udinese on Saturday in the balance. Tests will be performed on Thursday to discover the extent of an injury which could deprive Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri of another key member of his squad. Andrea Pirlo and Giorgio Chiellini are both currently sidelined for the Italian champions, who also get their Champions League campaign underway at home to Malmo next Tuesday. "Vidal returned from the national team Tuesday with a muscular problem on the rear side of his right thigh," read a statement on Juve's official website. "He was rested today and will undergo diagnostic tests tomorrow to evaluate his availability for the coming games." The injury is not related to the knee issues he suffered earlier this year, culminating in an operation in May. Vidal was spotted holding an ice pack to his knee at the weekend, but denied their being any problem, saying on Twitter: "My knee is perfectly fine. Please stop inventing stories. Get it right." After hosting Udinese and Malmo, Juventus travel to Allegri's former club AC Milan before a midweek game against Cesena. Then a trip to Atalanta is followed by a journey to Atletico Madrid before last season's Serie A runners-up Roma visit Turin. In the absence of Vidal, 19-year-old Kingsley Coman impressed on his Serie A debut little over a week ago, while Claudio Marchisio missed Italy's trip to Norway due to suspension and should therefore be fresh. However, with Vidal netting 11 times in Serie A last season, and five times as they exited the Champions League at the group stage, replacing the Chilean for a prolonged period of time may prove problematic.
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