Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi is a rivalry that has inspired fans around the world for over a decade, and Wednesday's Champions League match pits their respective teams against each other once again.
Ronaldo's Juventus takes on Messi's Barcelona in a clash that could help determine which side tops Group G, and anticipation of another showdown between the two all-time greats boiled over as soon as the teams were drawn together. With Ronaldo's move to Serie A in 2018, the multiple head-to-head clashes between he and Messi that fans were treated to on an annual basis ceased, so Wednesday's fixture promised a brief return for the long-running rivalry.
But Ronaldo's positive COVID-19 test on Oct. 13 threw the anticipated showdown into serious doubt as it came just 15 days prior to kickoff. The Portuguese superstar has been quarantined at his home for two weeks with hopes of returning to the field for Wednesday's match, but a subsequent test on Oct. 22 also came back positive.
A third test, taken Tuesday in Turin, ultimately decided Ronaldo's fate. Just 24 hours before kickoff against Barca, Ronaldo's latest test came back positive and dashed any late hope of the 35-year-old taking the field against his old nemesis.
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Ronaldo has missed three matches thus far — Juventus' 1-1 draws with Crotone and Verona on Oct. 17 and 25, respectively, along with the Bianconeri's Champions League opener against Dynamo Kyiv — and hasn't trained with his team throughout his isolation period. Even if he had shown to be free of the virus, Juve manager Andrea Pirlo hinted that it might have been a challenge to get Ronaldo onto the field against Barcelona for a significant amount of time.
"For now, everything is still uncertain," Pirlo told reporters hours before finding out the result of Ronaldo's test. "We hope to be able to evaluate him even if it's not easy after 15 days of inactivity."
Juventus' next game is a Serie A fixture scheduled for Sunday against Spezia. Ronaldo's availability for that match is uncertain.