Cristiano Ronaldo could be back in the Juventus line-up in time for their Champions League quarter-final with Ajax, coach Massimiliano Allegri revealed on Friday.
Ronaldo hasn't played for the runaway Serie A leaders since scoring the sensational hat-trick that saw Juve come back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Atletico Madrid last month.
He was rested in the subsequent 2-0 league defeat at Genoa and then picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Portugal last week, but Allegri is confident the 34-year-old will be ready for Wednesday's first leg in Amsterdam.
"There are good signals from Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the match with Ajax," he said to reporters ahead of Saturday's visit of fourth-placed AC Milan.
Ronaldo will however not be ready for Milan, who are battling to qualify for next season's Champions League, after missing recent wins over Empoli and Cagliari, the latter of which was overshadowed by racist abuse directed at young Italy striker Moise Kean.
Kean's Juve and Italy teammate Leonardo Bonucci was heavily criticised in the aftermath of that match for saying that Kean was as to blame for the monkey chants to which he was subjected as the Cagliari supporters, comments for which he apologised on Thursday.
"Racism must always be fought against. It can never be justified," said Allegri.
"Bonucci, with his mind still on the game, expressed himself badly but immediately apologised and explained what he meant."