Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to training on Thursday, raising hopes that he could feature in Juventus' Champions League semifinal return at Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The Frenchman has been out of action since picking up a thigh injury in the second leg of the Bianconeri's 3-0 win at Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League in March.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri said he would not consider Pogba for Wednesday's trip to Madrid if he were unable to play a small part in Saturday's Serie A clash with Cagliari, but that is now looking likely as Pogba resumed full training after the team was given a day off on Wednesday.
Juve announced Pogba's return with a tweet in which they showed the Frenchman training in a video. It was a "grand return," according to the Serie A champions' website.
VIDEO: Welcome back, @paulpogba! https://t.co/J39dAemiEJ
- JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 7, 2015
Juve can head to Spain following a 2-1 first-leg win in Turin with an extra option and reinforced confidence, according to Pogba's midfield teammate Claudio Marchisio.
"We'll be playing against a great team in a fine stadium, but we need to focus on ourselves," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We mustn't repeat the errors we made in Monte Carlo where we sat back and waited for the opposition. You can't afford to do that against Real Madrid and we must play an open game.
"Three years ago we weren't in the Champions League, then we reached the quarterfinals and last year, despite going out at the group stage, we almost got to the Europa League final.
"This year we've proved ourselves and this needs to become the norm at Juventus, even if we know that teams with bigger budgets than ours struggle. Just look at how long Real had to wait for their tenth European Cup."