This weekend, Juventus play host to Cagliari at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
On paper, the Bianconeri should be able to breeze past their Sardinian foes. But in the absence of several key players, one can never be certain.
In fact, Max Allegri’s depleted ranks are forcing the manager to find himself a new captain.
Since the start of the season, Danilo inherited the captaincy following Leonardo Bonucci’s controversial exit.
With the Brazilian recently injured, vice-captain Adrien Rabiot donned the armband. However, the Frenchman will miss Saturday’s encounter through suspension. Veteran fullback Alex Sandro is also out of action due to an injury.
So who will lead his teammates to the pitch this weekend?
According to JuventusNews24, Wojciech Szczesny is the favorite to act as the stand-in captain, although he had often insisted that he’s uninterested in the role.
The 33-year-old is the oldest player at the club and one of its longest-serving stars. He has been in Turin since 2017.
But since the Polish goalkeeper isn’t too keen on the armband, this could pave the way for two other candidates.
The first is Daniele Rugani who has been a member of the Juventus squad since 2015. The 29-year-old has been performing well at the back while replacing the injured Danilo and Sandro.
The alternative is Manuel Locatelli who has just signed a contract renewal tying him to the club until 2028. The midfielder is regarded by many as a future Juventus captain.
But it remains to be seen if Allegri is willing to elevate the 25-year-old in the captaincy’s hierarchy above more senior players.
