Maurizio Sarri Discusses Resting Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus' Free-Kick Duties

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has said Cristiano Ronaldo needs his rest, so he won't feature against Lecce, and he will not take the Portuguese superstar off free-kick duties despite his struggles. 

Ronaldo did not travel to Apulia with the rest of the squad ahead of Saturday's match. Sarri is expected to rotate his team, although he believes he has limited options to fall back on, per Football Italia:

"It'll be a difficult match against a team who always propose their own style of play, even when they're in trouble.

"There will be many variables to deal with, like the heat, which can be an obstacle as it was in Florence, but we must be able to overcome these difficulties too.

"Right now we don't have that many options to rotate, but we'll change something based on the condition of the players.

"Bonucci's always played, we'll see if we can give him a breather. Douglas Costa isn't ready yet and De Sciglio also needs a few more days.

"I often talk to Ronaldo. Even for him he'll occasionally need to rest. We'll see when, based on how he feels."

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Lecce sit in 16th place in the standings are winless in their last three outings. Juventus will face Genoa in midweek before a crucial and difficult stretch of fixtures with matches against Torino, Lokomotiv Moscow, AC Milan, Atalanta and Atletico Madrid.

Lecce and Genoa will provide opportunities to rest starters and give minutes to some of the team's best youth talents. Forwards Han Kwang-song and Marco Olivieri have both been called up to the senior team for the first time:

Sarri was also grilled about the club's ongoing issues with set pieces, and specifically free-kicks. He said Ronaldo and Miralem Pjanic will continue to decide among themselves who takes them: "Cristiano and Miralem decide over free kicks, it's down to them. I've asked for a few things from Pjanic, without changing his nature, and he did well to make himself available."

Juventus' free-kick record has been horrendous since Ronaldo arrived last summer. According to Calciomercato.com (h/t MailOnline Sport), the former Real Madrid man hasn't made a single one for the Bianconeri, but continues to take the majority of the opportunities:

Pjanic and Paulo Dybala are both known for their free-kick ability, with the former a particular standout. The Bosnian is having a phenomenal start to the season and has arguably been Juventus' best player so far, but has had little opportunities to take free-kicks.

Italian football expert Adam Digby believes it's time to take Ronaldo off free-kick duties completely:

Pjanic and Dybala might have the opportunity to stake their claim on Saturday, with Ronaldo sitting out the match against Lecce. The hosts are expected to defend with numbers, so there could be plenty of opportunities to take free-kicks.