JAKARTA - Ahead of the postponed match between Juventus and Napoli in Serie A, Andrea Pirlo's team lost midfielder Federico Bernardeschi. The Italian national team player has tested positive for COVID-19 following the international break.
The 27-year-old athlete is the sixth Italian international to contract the coronavirus after the Azzurri's team underwent World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania.
“Federico Bernardeschi has tested positive for COVID-19. Currently, he is in isolation and without symptoms", Juventus said in a statement quoted by Antara from the official Juventus campaign.
Defending Serie A champions Juventus are scheduled to host Napoli on Wednesday, April 7 in a match that has been postponed since last October due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has hit the visiting squad from the city of Naples.
Meanwhile, since the international break, five other Italian players have tested positive for COVID-19, namely Bernardeschi's club mate Leonardo Bonucci, then Paris Saint-Germain pair Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti, Freiburg goalkeeper Vincenzo Grifo and Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno.
Some media reports that Torino goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has also been exposed to the virus. However, even though the club has confirmed the finding of a COVID-19 case, they did not mention the player in question.
The Italian Football Federation also confirmed four staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 after the match against Lithuania on 31 March.
Meanwhile, the Italian national team coach Roberto Mancini has appointed 38 players to guard against the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in his squad.
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