[VERONA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 20: Daniele Rugani of Juventus FC, Manuel Locatelli of Juventus FC and Lloyd Kelly of Juventus FC greet fans following the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and Juventus FC at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on September 20, 2025 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
VERONA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 20: Daniele Rugani of Juventus FC, Manuel Locatelli of Juventus FC and Lloyd Kelly of Juventus FC greet fans following the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and Juventus FC at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on September 20, 2025 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)](https://football-italia.net/locatelli-likely-dropped-juventus-instagram/) 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.
Locatelli likely to be dropped against Real Madrid
TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 16: Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus celebrates after Lloyd Kelly (not pictured) scores his team's fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 16: Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus celebrates after Lloyd Kelly (not pictured) scores his team’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
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.
Locatelli’s Instagram story before Real Madrid vs. Juventus
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