Manuel Locatelli posted an Instagram story showing him with the captain’s armband after rumours emerged that Igor Tudor will bench him against Real Madrid this evening.
Juventus captain Locatelli is not expected to start at the Bernabeu tonight, when the Old Lady faces off against La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League Round 3.
Locatelli likely to be dropped against Real Madrid
Tudor, in fact, is expected to rely on Teun Koopmeiners, Kehphren Thuram and Weston McKennie in central midfield, but knowing that he’ll start on the bench in one of the biggest games of the season has likely frustrated the Juventus captain.
This is probably why Locatelli shared an Instagram story on Wednesday morning, hours before the game, showing his captain’s armband.
The Italian midfielder has made eight appearances across all competitions this season and was already benched against Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta.
Locatelli is no new to expressing his feelings on social media as he did in the summer of 2024, when he was dropped from Italy’s Euro 2024 squad.
Locatelli’s Instagram story before Real Madrid vs. Juventus
Locatelli is terrible. Stop calling him to the national team too. Is mediocre at best and brings zero energy to the squad.
Anyone dropped for McKennie should be disappointed. If this is true they are starting the game on the back foot already.
Locatelli should not even be on the bench at Juve let alone be called for the national team. All he does is slide, he’s probably going to give away a penalty sometime soon. And if a coach plays McKennie instead of Locatelli, then that coach should find a new career.
Well that backfired. McKennie losing his man for the goal. Locatelli clearly missed throughout the game.