Ronaldo to make Juventus debut against Chievo

Cristiano Ronaldo is curious to find out about life in Serie A and will make his debut in the opening match of the season for champions Juventus against Chievo in Verona, coach Massimiliano Allegri confirmed yesterday.
Allegri said the 33-year-old was eager to play in Serie A after his 100mn euro ($117mn) transfer from Real Madrid last month. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has appeared in two warm-up friendlies for Juventus but did not travel with the team to the United States. “I didn’t give Ronaldo acny advice. He’s very intrigued to understand how teams play in Italy,” said Allegri as Juventus begin their campaign today.
“Ronaldo will make his debut. (Wojciech) Szczesny, (Giorgio) Chiellini, (Leonardo) Bonucci and (Miralem) Pjanic will play and the two full-backs on each side will be (Joao) Cancelo and Alex Sandro. Everyone is in good condition, even (Mario) Mandzukic and (Blaise) Matuidi, who both went all the way to the final in the World Cup,” he added.
But Allegri warned his team not to rely too much on the Portuguese superstar as they target an eighth straight Serie A title.
“It’s time to put aside the excitement of the arrival of great players and the greatest of all, we have to keep our feet on the ground, keep a low profile,” continued Allegri.
“We mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that we can win because we have Cristiano. He’s an added value in a team that has played two Champions finals in the last four years. Players like Ronaldo are different from all the others: it shows in what he has won, he is a stimulus for everyone. It will be a difficult campaign and we need to be prepared and remain focused, because tomorrow the season begins and we will find a tough Chievo side waiting for us. I’m curious to see how the team fares.”
But it could be a low-key start for the Ronaldo in Verona’s Stadio Bentegodi today on a day of national mourning for the victims of the Morandi bridge tragedy in the north-western port city. The emotional impact of the disaster has led to the postponement of Serie A games involving local teams Sampdoria and Genoa who had been due to open their campaigns against Fiorentina and AC Milan. But all other games will go ahead starting today — the day of the 38 victims’ funerals — with last season’s top two teams Juventus and Napoli in action.
A minute’s silence will be held before each match with the players taking to the pitch wearing black armbands.
Much is expected of Ronaldo’s presence in the Italian league this season after the low of Italy missing out on qualifying for the World Cup in Russia. “He’s going to raise the level of the championship,” said Italian football legend Dino Zoff. “Everyone can benefit. With Ronaldo all eyes will be on us and Serie A can regain ground. His purchase will result in the arrival of other big names to Serie A.”
Napoli turn back to their quest for a first title since the days of Argentine star Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990 after pushing Juventus to the line last season.
After claiming a record 91 points for a league runner-up, Maurizio Sarri exited the club for Chelsea with Italian Carlo Ancelotti making his return to Serie A for the first time in nearly a decade.
The much-travelled Italian arrives in Naples boasting three Champions League trophies from his spells with AC Milan and Real Madrid, and a Premier League title from his two-year stint at Chelsea.
Eusebio di Francesco’s Roma — third last season — travel to Torino with Inter Milan, who also qualified for the Champions League visiting Sassuolo tomorrow, as Bologna and SPAL, who both survived at the death last season going head to head in a bid to start the season on a positive note.
Among the newcomers, Parma return to the top flight only three years after being declared bankrupt, hosting Udinese in their first game.
Also returning to Serie A are Empoli, a team from Florence, who start at home against Cagliari, and Frosinone, from south of Rome, who travel to Atalanta on Monday.

Fixtures (all times GMT)
Today: Chievo v Juventus (1600GMT), Lazio v Napoli (1830)
Tomorrow: Torino v AS Roma (1600 GMT); Bologna v SPAL, Empoli v Cagliari, Parma v Udinese, Sassuolo v Inter Milan (all 1830)
On Monday: Atalanta v Frosinone (1830)
AC Milan v Genoa, Sampdoria v Fiorentina — postponed after Genoa bridge disaster