Likely to be dropped from Juventus’ XI vs. Real Madrid, Locatelli posts cryptic Instagram story

Manuel Locatelli posted an Instagram story showing him with the captain’s armband after rumours emerged that Igor Tudor will bench him against Real Madrid this evening.

Juventus captain Locatelli is not expected to start at the Bernabeu tonight, when the Old Lady faces off against La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League Round 3.

Tudor, in fact, is expected to rely on Teun Koopmeiners, Kehphren Thuram and Weston McKennie in central midfield, but knowing that he’ll start on the bench in one of the biggest games of the season has likely frustrated the Juventus captain.

This is probably why Locatelli shared an Instagram story on Wednesday morning, hours before the game, showing his captain’s armband.

The Italian midfielder has made eight appearances across all competitions this season and was already benched against Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta.

Locatelli is no new to expressing his feelings on social media as he did in the summer of 2024, when he was dropped from Italy’s Euro 2024 squad.