Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is willing to grit his teeth to make a swift return to action this weekend against Juventus.
The Situation With Matteo Guendouzi
The 25-year-old suffered a bruised toe during France’s win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. He was forced to leave his place on the pitch for Real Madrid star Edoardo Camavinga in the 73rd minute, causing great concern for Lazio. But luckily, test results ruled out a fracture, so the former Arsenal man won’t be requiring time off.
Nevertheless, Guendouzi is still feeling the pain caused by the stomp, so his availability for Saturday’s clash against Juventus remains in doubt. But according to Il Corriere dello Sport, the midfielder is determined to get a call-up for the trip to Turin and help his team’s cause at the Allianz Stadium.
Marco Baroni Reflecting on Alternative Options
So while Guendouzi’s condition will be closely monitored over the next few hours, Marco Baroni is already reflecting on his alternative options, and chief among them is Matias Vecino who has recently returned from injury and has been training with his teammates.
The other options are Gaetano Castrovilli who trained alongside Nicolo Rovella at Formello during the international break while the other midfielders were away on national duty, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, although he might not be in his best physical and mental condition after getting stuck in for more than 15 hours along with his Nigerian teammates at a Libyan airport.
I must say Goundozi is to be commanded for his mentality, however, we must be careful. We don’t afford losing him for the long run, so I have absolutely no problem to see Vecino start. The Allianz will be buzzing and the Uruguayan midfielder is fine with the pressure. He is also very reliable and will work well with Rovella.
As of Dele Bashiru, we have to assume it will be Dia starting and not him, so no pressure on him but he likely will come on in the 2nd half at some point.
The big question for me is who plays on the right wing ahead of Marusic? Considering Gustav just scored it is to be expected but he has to be switched on for the defensive bit.
Come on Baroni, we trust you 🩵🤍🦅