Cristiano Ronaldo was named on the substitutes' bench for Juventus' Serie A clash with Lazio on Saturday.
With an eye on Tuesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Porto, who hold a 2-1 lead from the first match, Andrea Pirlo opted to rest his talisman.
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Ronaldo is the leading scorer in Serie A this season with 20 goals and has netted four in his last three games.
Speaking at his pre-match media conference on Friday, Pirlo hinted that 36-year-old Ronaldo might be suffering from fatigue.
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"When you play a lot of games, a day or two of rest is good," Pirlo said. "It also applies to Cristiano.
"Now that we are short up front, he has gritted his teeth and will do it for as long as we need it. He has shown and continues to demonstrate his great professionalism."
Juve, who were 10 points behind leaders Inter ahead of kick-off, opted for Alvaro Morata and Dejan Kulusevski in attack.
