Report: Cristiano Ronaldo to Miss Juventus' Next 3 Serie A Matches with Injury

Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly miss three games for Juventus after picking up a thigh injury while on international duty.

According to Corriere della Sera (h/t Calciomercato), the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will sit out Serie A games against Empoli, Cagliari and AC Milan in a bid to be fully fit for Juve's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Ajax on April 10.

Ronaldo, 34, had to be subbed off after half an hour on Monday as Portugal drew 1-1 with Serbia in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier in Lisbon.

He moved to assure Juventus fans after the match that the issue was not too serious:

The Old Lady then officially confirmed that tests had revealed "a minor injury to his right thigh flexors," per Sky Sports News.

The Italian champions will take no risks on returning him in the league, though, as they hold a 15-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Even if Ronaldo were to miss the rest of the season, Juve could still likely secure their eighth consecutive Scudetto.

But others, notably Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala, will have to fill the void while Ronaldo is sidelined. Juventus suffered a first league defeat of the season last time out against Genoa when the former Real Madrid man was being rested.

Ronaldo's key purpose for the rest of the campaign will be to help Juve win the Champions League for the first time since 1996.

He showed why the Italian club paid £99.2 million to sign him last summer when he scored a hat-trick in Juve's last-16 second leg against Atletico Madrid earlier this month to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg:

Ronaldo is a five-time Champions League winner and the tournament's all-time leading goalscorer.

His presence in the Juve squad arguably makes them favourites to go all the way this season, although Barcelona and Manchester City are also strong contenders.

As such, Juventus will do everything they can to make sure he is fit to face Ajax, even if it means having to cope without him in the league.