Juventus have reiterated their intention to take to the field against Napoli on Sunday, despite reports their Serie A visitors have not been allowed to travel to Turin. (More Football News)
There have been positive coronavirus cases at both Juventus and Napoli, but the Bianconeri intend to play their fixture on Sunday
Juventus have reiterated their intention to take to the field against Napoli on Sunday, despite reports their Serie A visitors have not been allowed to travel to Turin. (More Football News)
Gennaro Gattuso's side have won each of their opening two league games this season, scoring eight times without conceding, and are set to face the reigning champions on Sunday.
However, Napoli have revealed that two players – Piotr Zielinski and Elif Elmas – and staff member Giandomenico Costi have contracted coronavirus, throwing the fixture into doubt.
Napoli's opponents last weekend Genoa have since reported 22 cases of COVID-19 and that serious outbreak, and the Partenopei's proximity to it, has reportedly resulted in local authorities stepping in and banning Gattuso's squad from travelling to Turin.
Juve themselves reported two positive cases on Saturday – revealing their squad were isolating internally as a result – but they released a statement confirming they still wanted to play the game against Napoli.
"Juventus Football Club announces that the first team will take to the field for the Juventus-Napoli match tomorrow at 20:45, as foreseen by the Serie A League calendar," it read.
League rules, which are based on UEFA protocol, state that a match must go ahead if a team has 13 players available, including a goalkeeper, though there are mitigating factors if there is intervention from local authorities.