Devastated Gatti didn’t feature against Napoli due to friend’s tragic death

Juventus defender Federico Gatti remained on the bench against Napoli after suffering personal tragedy in recent days.

When the starting formation was announced, many were surprised to see the 25-year-old excluded in favor of Alex Sandro.

After all, the former Frosinone man has cemented himself as an automatic starter in Max Allegri’s lineup this season, and had even scored the winner against the Partenopei in the reverse fixture.

But as JuventusNews24 explains, the manager felt that Gatti was in no condition to take part in the action following a tragic mishappening.

Sadly, Marco Pezzatti passed away earlier this week in a car accident in Calabria.

The 31-year-old was a good friend of Gatti. The pair were teammates at Verbania where they formed a strong bond.

The Juventus defender mourned the death of his friend on social media earlier in the week and has been visibly shaken.

Therefore, the Italy international was an unused substitute in his team’s 1-2 defeat at the Maradona Stadium.

He will most probably regain his usual spot at the back in next weekend’s big clash against Atalanta.

This season, Gatti has made 25 appearances across all competitions, contributing with three goals.

The centre-back joined the Bianconeri in 2022 and has recently signed a contract extension until 2028.