Leonardo Bonucci has struggled with playing time this season but is expected to start in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter tonight, playing his first match in more than a month.
The experienced centre-back has barely played 1.200 minutes across 21 games this term and hasn’t made a competitive appearance since March 12 when he was subbed off during the break of a 4-2 win against Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium.
This means Bonucci hasn’t played for Juventus for more than 40 days but his spell on the sidelines will likely end on Wednesday night, given that he’s expected to start in a three-man defence in the Coppa Italia semi-final return leg against Inter at San Siro.
It’s been a tough season for Bonucci who has been dealing with several injuries, missing 16 games due to physical problems.
He was available in the last five games across all competitions, three in Serie A and two in Europa League, but remained on the bench not being fully fit after a leg injury.
Bonucci became Juventus’ captain last summer after Giorgio Chiellini’s move to LAFC and has played 497 games with the Bianconeri.
His €7m-a-year contract expires in 2024, but he’s expected to sign a new deal in Turin in the coming weeks.
Truly hope it was the LAST time, not LATEST.