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Pirlo hopes Ronaldo tests negative ahead of Barca match

VIDEO SHOWS: JUVENTUS TRAINING SESSION AND NEWS CONFERENCE WITH COACH, ANDREA PIRLO

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: TURIN, ITALY (OCTOBER 27, 2020) (UEFA - NO RESALES. NO COMMERCIAL USE. MUST ON-SCREEN COURTESY "©UEFA 2020")

1. JUVENTUS PLAYERS WARMING UP

2. JUVENTUS PLAYERS DOING EXERCISES

3. JUVENTUS DEFENDER, LEONARDO BONUCCI, RUNNING

4. JUVENTUS PLAYERS DOING EXERCISES

5. JUVENTUS COACH, ANDREA PIRLO, LOOKING AT PLAYERS TRAINING

6. JUVENTUS PLAYERS TRAINING

7. JUVENTUS PLAYERS PASSING BALL

8. JUVENTUS COACH, ANDREA PIRLO, AND DEFENDER, DANILO, SEATED FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

9. WHITE FLASH

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS COACH, ANDREA PIRLO, SAYING:

"First of all, we need to wait for his (Cristiano Ronaldo's) swab result. Then, if it is negative we will see what to do. First we have it and then we will decide. For now it's all on the high seas. When there is the final outcome we will decide what to do but it is not easy after 14 days of inactivity to play the whole game. We will evaluate, we hope to being able to evaluate it."

11. WHITE FLASH

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS COACH, ANDREA PIRLO, SAYING:

"(Lionel) Messi is part of the history of modern world football. He and Ronaldo have been doing extraordinary things for 15 years now and therefore they are still at the top despite the advancing age for everyone. I have played against him (Lionel Messi) many times as a player and tomorrow I will up against him for the first time as a coach. There will be great respect because these players must be treated differently, always hoping they are not on the best nights."

13. WHITE FLASH

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) JUVENTUS COACH, ANDREA PIRLO, SAYING:

"(Ansu Fati and Dejan Kulusevski) are two players with great prospects. They play together with the two greatest players of the era and therefore have the opportunity to learn from them every day."

15. WHITE FLASH

16. PIRLO LEAVING

STORY: Juventus trained on Tuesday (October 27) with COVID-19-stricken talisman Cristiano Ronaldo expected to find out if he will be able to play in the Champions League clash against Barcelona and Lionel Messi.

"First of all, we need to wait for his swab result", Pirlo told journalists during a news conference in Turin. "When there is the final outcome we will decide what to do but it is not easy after 14 days of inactivity to play the whole game", he added.

After testing positive for COVID-19 for a second time last week, Ronaldo is facing a race against time to be cleared for Juve's clash against Messi's Barca as Pirlo still doesn't know if the Portugal international could join the match even if he tests negative.

According to UEFA rules the 35-year-old Portuguese striker will need to test negative late on Tuesday, 24 hours before being allowed to feature in Wednesday's (October 28) match against Barca.

Pirlo, who won Europe's elite club competition twice with AC Milan during his playing days as a midfielder, praised Messi's qualities after having faced him on the pitch in the past.

"Messi is part of the history of modern world football", he said. "He and Ronaldo have been doing extraordinary things for 15 years now and therefore they are still at the top despite the advancing age for everyone."

Pirlo confirmed Juve could not count on defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt, as Leonardo Bonucci is trying to recover from a muscle problem in time for the match against the Blaugrana.

In case the clash between CR7 and Messi does not happen, Juve and Barca will feature another duel between young stars Ansu Fati and Dejan Kulusevski.

"(Fati and Kulusevski) are two players with great prospects. They play together with the two greatest players of the time and therefore have the opportunity to learn from them every day," Pirlo said.

The Bianconeri made a winning start in the Champions League as they defeated Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 last week thanks to a pair of classic poacher's goals from Alvaro Morata in their Group G opener.

(Production: Fabiano Franchitti)