Juve game against Napoli in doubt
Juventus has reiterated its intention to take to the field against Napoli on Monday (AEST), despite reports its Serie A visitor has not been allowed to travel to Turin.
Gennaro Gattuso's side has won each of its opening two league games this season, scoring eight times without conceding, and is set to face the reigning champion on Monday (AEST).
However, Napoli has revealed that two players – Piotr Zielinski and Elif Elmas – and staff member Giandomenico Costi have contracted COVID-19, throwing the fixture into doubt.
Napoli's opponent last weekend Genoa has since reported 22 cases of COVID-19 and that serious outbreak, and the Partenopei's proximity to it, have reportedly resulted in local authorities stepping in and banning Gattuso's squad from travelling to Turin.
Juve reported two positive cases on Sunday (AEST), revealing its squad was isolating internally as a result, but it released a statement confirming it 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 [0545 AEST], 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.