Cristiano Ronaldo will start Juventus’ Champions League quarter-final with Ajax after recovering from injury, manager Massimiliano Allegri says.
Ronaldo – who has been nursing a thigh strain – has not played for Juve since he scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the last round on 12 March.
Giorgio Chiellini misses out with a calf strain, while Emre Can also stays behind with an ankle issue.
Ajax have no fresh injury concerns before the first leg in Amsterdam.
Juventus are just one point away from winning an eighth successive Serie A title, but they have failed to win the Champions League since 1996.
Ronaldo, 34, has been sidelined since he was injured playing for Portugal in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Serbia on 25 March.
The Portuguese forward was bought last July to help Juventus attempt to become champions of Europe, the Italian club having reached two of the past four finals.
Allegri says Ronaldo will start at the Johan Cruyff Arena “as long as nothing happens tonight or tomorrow morning”.
“Cristiano has trained with the team and is available,” said the Juve boss.
Despite his absence, Juventus can win Serie A with six games to spare if they secure a draw at SPAL in their next league match.
“Cristiano looks the same as ever. He’s in good shape, a very important player for us, as everyone knows, and we are happy he’ll be with us tomorrow,” said defender Daniele Rugani, who is set to start in the absence of the veteran Chiellini.
Manager Erik ten Hag says his side are happy to be the “surprise” package in this season’s Champions League quarter-final.
The Dutch side, who beat defending champions Real Madrid in the last round, have not reached the last eight since 2003.
“For a country like the Netherlands, it’s really difficult to get to this stage,” said Ten Hag.
“Financially, the circumstances have really changed in recent years.”
Ajax have not only transformed their fortunes in Europe, but they also ended a 1,060 day wait to return to the top of the Eredivisie table with a thumping 5-2 victory over FC Emmen on 3 April.
“A couple of months ago, we found our form and returned to being a strong team,” said Ten Hag.
“It will be another big obstacle to overcome after Real, but we will play as usual and we will have to be good at reading the game.”
The sides will meet again in the return leg in Turin on 16 April, with the winners playing against Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final.
