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05.11.2019 » What are Ronaldo priorities for the 2019-20 season?
No one can really say that Cristiano Ronaldo's adaptation in Italy hasn't gone well so far. The former Real Madrid ace arrived to Turin in the summer of 2018 and despite the usual skepticism from many of his critics and detractors not only in Italy, but also in countries like England, Spain, Canada and Norway, he proved everyone wrong. The Portuguese legend scored a total of 28 goals in his first season playing for Juventus, 21 of those in the Serie A, 6 in the UEFA Champions League and 1 in the Italian Supercup. Ever since he became a professional football player, Ronaldo has always shown a great level of professionalism and dedication to the clubs he represents. In his holidays however, he already travelled to the US in multiple occasions and had fun gambling at some of the best casinos listed here. In 2019-20, it looks like he's still warming up the engines and as we all know by now, Ronaldo has learned how to maximize his recovery and protect himself for the decisive stages of all competitions, which should happen somewhere in April, May and June.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Still shutting mouths
#4: Serie A
Ronaldo already won the Serie A title in his very first opportunity to do so, but that doesn't mean he won't be motivated to win it again this year. Juventus won the league title for the past 8 straight years and they're clearly the dominant force in Italy in the past decade.
Winning the Serie A again this year might be a bit more difficult than it was in previous seasons, as it looks like Napoli and especially Inter Milan are becoming more and more determined in surprising the Italian giants and claim the title for themselves. Nevertheless, Juventus are still heavy favorites to repeat their past success and Ronaldo should play a center role in that journey, even if he ends up being rested in a few games here and there.
#3: Italian Cup
The "Coppa Italia" was one Juventus and Ronaldo's biggest disappointments last season. After beating Bologna 2-0 in the last-16 stage, the Bianconeri travelled to Bergamo to face Atalanta and ended up being surprised by the local side in a shocking 3-0 loss. Ronaldo played the entire game, but just like his teammates, he couldn't the find the right answer against a very motivated rival and Juve were knocked out of the Italian Cup.
At this point and since this is a title Ronaldo still doesn't have in his resume, it's definitely going to be one of Ronaldo's main priorities for the current season. So don't be surprised if you see CR7 resting for certain games in the league and playing in relatively easy games in the Italian Cup.
#2: UEFA Champions League
Without doubts, the UEFA Champions League will be Juventus' main objective for the 2019-2020 season. We're just not going to claim the same about Ronaldo just yet, because there's an European Cup next summer and if Portugal does manage to qualify for the tournament finals, that's probably going to be even bigger than the Champions League in Ronaldo's perspective.
Last season, the Bianconeri were defeated by Ajax in the Champions League quarter-finals, which kind of led to Massimiliano Allegri's departure at the end of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus essentially to help the Italian powerhouse winning a Champions League title and no one will fully satisfied until that happens. In Ronaldo's case, that's how high the bar is set for him ever since he joined Manchester United, so that's the type of pressure he channels to motivate himself even further.
#1: EURO 2020
Even though Portugal still haven't qualified for the EURO 2020 finals and have lost all chances to finish first in their group following their loss to Ukraine last week, they're still big favorites to go through in second place. Once that happens, and let's assume it will happen, it's certainly going to be Ronaldo's most important competition of the season.
Nearly 4 years ago, in the EURO 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo already helped Portugal in their journey to a superb conquer in Paris, as the Seleção won their first-ever major trophy in international football against France, which was even more surprising as they've done it in enemy territory. Nevertheless, Ronaldo was a bit disappointed because he was forced to leave the pitch during the first half of the final after getting injured by an opponent. Winning this tournament for a second time would be huge for the Portuguese star and would certainly grant him another Ballon d'Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus in the UEFA Champions League is on October 22, against Lokomotiv Moscow. You can watch Juventus vs Lokomotiv Moscow, Galatasaray vs Real Madrid, Sampdoria vs AS Roma, Manchester United vs Liverpool, AC Milan vs Lecce, and Sassuolo vs Inter, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.
Juventus next game:
Juventus vs Lokomotiv Moscow kick-off time (22-10-2019):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / sportsnet.ca / espn.com / calciomercato.com
