Key Juventus Pair Set to Return From Injury Ahead of Crucial Week of Domestic & Continental Action

Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini and Juan Cuadrado returned to training on Thursday in preparation for their hugely important week in both Serie A and the Champions

Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini and Juan Cuadrado returned to training on Thursday in preparation for their hugely important week in both Serie A and the Champions League. 

The centre-back withdrew from Italy international duty last week with a thigh problem, in which Azzurri went down 2-0 to Argentina at the Etihad Stadium before securing a late draw against England at Wembley Stadium. 

Tonight’s penalty decision in England v Italy - while correct in the end - arguably went against the VAR protocol: was the decision clearly wrong?

— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) March 27, 2018

However, according to Marca, the 33-year-old was back involved in Massimiliano Allegri's training session on Thursday, with the veteran defender now expected to feature for the first time since his 81st minute substitution against SPAL earlier this month. 

Cuadrado, meanwhile, has not donned the famous black and white stripes of Juve since his side's 1-0 win over Roma in December. 

The 29-year-old underwent an operation in Munich in January with the hopes of defeating a longstanding groin problem.

6 - AC Milan have lost their last six away Serie A meetings against Juventus: their previous win dated back to 2011 (1-0 thanks to Gennaro Gattuso's goal). Return. pic.twitter.com/GGleahVA9b

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) March 29, 2018

The long-term benefits of the surgery remain to be seen; however, the Colombia international could take a place on the substitutes' bench when the Serie A league leaders welcome AC Milan to Turin on Saturday evening. 

The duo's comeback also provides a huge boost for Allegri ahead of his side's Champions League quarter-final first leg showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday. 

In a rerun of last year's final, the Italian superpower will be hoping they can assert themselves as the dominant force in the tie and take a healthy lead to the Spanish capital on April 11. 

Federico Bernardeschi with fans today in Turin. 🕶️😎 pic.twitter.com/DmI4BwDppT

— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuveEN) March 29, 2018

But this weekend's contest against Milan will come too soon for Federico Bernardeschi and Brazilian wing-back Alex Sandro, who both sat out of the Thursday's training. 

With it expected that neither will play a part this weekend, it would also be surprising to see either called upon for the upcoming visit of Real Madrid.