Cristiano Ronaldo Picks Up Ankle Injury, Trains Separately Ahead of Napoli Match

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been training separately from the group ahead of the showdown with Napoli on Sunday due to an ankle injury he picked up in the club's 1-0 win over Bologna. 

The Bianconeri reported both he and Douglas Costa trained separately on Wednesday. Ronaldo will be tested regularly to check his progression.

According to Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia), the knock isn't serious but he could still miss out on the match against Napoli.

The 34-year-old played the full contest in the narrow win over Bologna and wasn't much of a factor on the pitch. Paulo Dybala came off the bench to score the winner:

It marked the second match in a row in which Ronaldo failed to find the net, after scoring four goals in the three prior fixtures. He has picked a bad time to go cold, as Juventus face a crucial stretch of matches.

The Old Lady will face Napoli on Sunday in Serie A, a competition they have all but won already. After 25 matches, the defending champions sport an enormous 13-point advantage.

Sunday's contest will be a big test ahead of the all-important second leg of the UEFA Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid, however. Juventus will host the Rojiblancos on March 12 and face a two-goal deficit from the first leg.

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The Champions League is the team's key objective this season and the reason they signed Ronaldo in the first place. Having won Serie A seven times in a row, there's little doubt they could have done so again without him.

The Portugal international has won the past three editions of the tournament with Real Madrid, and Juventus are hopeful he's the missing piece that will end their wait for European silverware. They haven't won the Champions League in its current format, last hoisting the trophy in 1996.

With that in mind, manager Massimiliano Allegri will face a difficult decision for Sunday's match against the Partenopei. Napoli have been Juventus' toughest opponents in Italy the last few years and it's a match the Bianconeri will want to win at all costs, but they also need to avoid injury and must have Ronaldo at his best against Atletico.

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The team has limited depth in the attacking third, with teenage ace Moise Kean the only real alternative on the bench. The 18-year-old's only start of the season came in the Coppa Italia, and he hasn't played a minute since the January win over Chievo.