Juventus boss Gigi Del Neri will take a gamble tonight by starting with Diego instead of Alessandro Del Piero against Shamrock Rovers.
The Bianconeri are currently in Dublin for the first leg of a Europa League qualifying match.
Diego’s future has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks. His qualities as a trequartista don’t suit Del Neri’s plans to play an orthodox 4-4-2, which have an emphasis on the wings.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport understands that Del Neri has chosen to play Diego just behind Amauri, snubbing Del Piero, the club captain.
Speaking at a Press Conference last night, Del Neri said: “Now it starts to get serious. There are always risks and we’ll be playing against an organised and prepared team who are more ahead in terms of fitness and who are physically strong.
“It’s the beginning of the season and starting with a good result is very important. I would like to see again the attitude we showed on the pitch against Hamburg and Lyon. Our obligation is to play like Juventus.
“My team has quality and I believe that it can do well in this competition, but we must take into account the influences that games of this nature can bring.
“However, if we maintain the right attitude, adding the quality of our players, we could get a good result.
“I will have to evaluate the conditions of some players and tomorrow I will decide who goes on the pitch. I have tried several different solutions to see if some players are compatible, but I still haven’t chosen who will play.”
However, La Gazzetta believes Del Piero is out and Diego will get his chance to shine.
