Buffon handed Juventus start

Luigi Delneri will hand Gianluigi Buffon a first Serie A appearance since May 2010 when Juventus host Bari on Sunday.

Buffon, 32, has been out of action since June with a serious back problem.

A 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, he made his return to competitive action in a Coppa Italia match against Catania on Thursday.

“I can confirm Gigi will start, as he has fully recovered in physical terms and so I consider him ready to play,” Delneri said.

“His recovery was actually much quicker than anyone expected and on Thursday he proved he was ready mentally as well.”

Marco Storari has started 19 games in Buffon’s absence this season, but the 34-year-old journeyman will be forced to return to the bench on Sunday, sparking rumours he may be set for the exit.

“Of course nobody is happy when they don’t get to play, but Storari knows I have great faith in him and it was a difficult decision,” Delneri said.

“He has done well so far, but we now have a world-class goalkeeper.”

“I certainly would not sell him, as I’ll inform the club that Juve need two goalkeepers to continue the project. It’s better to have one spare than two missing.”

At the other end of the field Juve’s cruel luck with injuries continues.

New man Luca Toni – signed as cover for the injured Fabio Quagliarella – has joined his fellow striker on the treatment table, with a knee ligament problem expected to rule him out for up to a month.

“We’re not lucky at the moment, as Toni put his foot down badly and hurt his knee,” Delneri said.

“There was nothing anyone could do about it, but Juventus cannot sign a new striker with every injury.”

“The squad has shown it is competitive when at full strength. We just have to do our best and not look for new players unless they notably improve the team.”

“I don’t think Juve can change the work of six months in the space of six days. We have the quality to notch up many more points than in the first half of the season and there is a long way to go.”