Former Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo may not be available for Juventus when they play Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League after testing positive for Covid-19 on international assignment.

The Portugal captain will miss the tie against Sweden in the Nations League on Wednesday night and UEFA protocol calls for a player to be COVID-negative for at least seven days before being allowed to play in a Champions League or Europa League match.

Ronaldo tested positive on October 13 and Juve’s match against Barcelona is expected to be on October 28 and this makes it extremely difficult for him to recover in time – considering the isolation period.

“Participants from Group 1 or Group 2 who have verified confirmation that they have now recovered from the virus are invited to submit documentation of this to the UPAP, including the date of diagnosis of the virus, complete relevant medical history and any other medical documents in this context e.g. SARS-CoV-2-RNA test or any other laboratory tests,” reads the protocol published by UEFA. “This must be provided at least one week before the team’s next UEFA Match.”

In addition to the match against Barcelona and a reunion with Messi, Ronaldo will certainly miss the upcoming matches against Crotone, in the Serie A at the weekend and the Champions League opener against Dynamo Kyiv.

source:- fcnaija