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Juventus director explains Dybala absence from starting XI for Champions League opener

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici insists that Paulo Dybala's continued absence from the Italians' first team owes to a lack of fitness.

Dybala has been restricted to just a single Supercoppa appearance so far in 2020-21, and was sent home early from Argentina's World Cup qualifying matches without participating in either game due to a stomach problem.

Upon returning to Juve the forward found himself on the bench for their Serie A clash against Crotone, where he failed to enter the action despite his side being held 1-1.

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Reports in Italy subsequently claimed that Dybala confronted Paratici after the match, incensed that coach Andrea Pirlo had declined to bring him on as a substitute.