Tottenham boost as Max Allegri won't risk Paulo Dybala for Champions League tie

Overstretched | Massimiliano Allegri doesn't want to risk Paulo Dybala against Tottenham
REUTERS
Jack Rosser @JackRosser_12 February 2018

Paulo Dybala has been left out of the Juventus squad to face Tottenham in the Champions League.

The Argentina international had returned to training ahead of the round of 16 first leg tie, and Mauricio Pochettino had been keen to face his opponent and test his side against the ‘best in the world’.

Dybala has been recovering from a hamstring injury picked up in early January, and will be a big miss for the Italian champions.

The 24-year-old has scored 17 goals in all competitions for Massimiliano Allegri’s side so far this season, however, the Juventus manager says he cannot risk losing the forward for the rest of the season.

“We hope he’d be available, I can not take risks,” Allegri told reporters on Monday.

“He’s an important player, we can not accelerate his recovery & then lose him all the season.”

Barring Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham can name all their big names. Harry Kane is the focus in Italy and, while Allegri was full of praise for the England striker, he said he’d always rather Gonzalo Higuain in his ranks.

In Pictures | Juventus train ahead of Tottenham tie | 12/02/2018

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“Given the choice between Gonzalo Higuain and Kane, I would still pick Pipita as my number 9, even if Kane is a top-class striker.”

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