Sick Ronaldo ruled out of Coppa Italia clash as Juventus face Udinese

Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of Juventus’ Coppa Italia clash with Udinese on Wednesday after falling ill.

Juventus announced the former Real Madrid forward would miss the last-16 match, dealing a blow to boss Maurizio Sarri ahead of kick-off.

The club issued a statement on Twitter that read: “Cristiano Ronaldo was struck by a bout of sinusitis this afternoon and will not be present at the Allianz Stadium for tonight’s match.”

The omens were still good for Juventus heading into the tie, with Sarri’s men having won their past five matches against Udinese across all competitions.

Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala started in attack in the absence of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Ronaldo began the new year with a hat-trick against Cagliari in Serie A, before his penalty on Sunday in a 2-1 win against Roma helped Juventus replace Inter at the top of the table.

Coppa ready! #JuveUdinese #CoppaItalia #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/WZH1ozltd0

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 15, 2020