Time out before the action starts

August 24, 1999
Juventus Official Site

Carlo Ancelotti has decided to give his team a day off on return from Rennes. Training is expected to recommence Thursday at 4pm (Italian time) at the Comunale stadium in Turin, and there will be further training sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoons.

On Sunday at 8.30pm (Italian time) Juventus will face Serie A newcomers Reggina at the Delle Alpi stadium. Tickets are on sale from Friday 27 August, at all the usual Lotto outlets. Alternatively, of course, they can be purchased at the Stadium on Sunday. Ancelotti's line-up for the first match of the season is expected to be the same team as faced Rennes earlier in the week.

A word on Davids. The Dutch midfielder has undergone further tests to his right eye over the last few days. Doctor Agricola, who heads up the Juventus medical staff, has revealed that the level of blood pressure to Davids's eye is now stabilising. Davids has an appointment in Amsterdam on Thursday with the specialist who has treated him for a similar problem in the past, when the player was suffering from a glaucoma in his left eye.

The second fixture of the season is lined up for 12 September, when Juventus will travel to Cagliari. Between these first two League matches, however, there will be a weekend off as Italy continue their march towards next summer's European Championship. Coach Dino Zoff has yet to name his squad, but at least four Juventus players should get a call-up: Zambrotta, Conte, Inzaghi and, very likely, Alessandro Del Piero. Pessotto and Bachini should not be ruled out either. As far as Juventus's foreign stars go, Mirkovic, Kovacevic and Isaksson will all be on international duty, Isaksson with the Swedish Under-21 side. Van der Sar and Zidane are also likely to take part in the weekend's action, Zidane having declared himself fit to rejoin the world champions.
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