While Paulo Dybala has never been the type of player you can pencil in for 3,000 minutes each season, for most of his early to mid-20s, the former Juventus maestro was a lock for two dozen league starts. It wasn’t until the 2020s that the dreaded injury-prone label was added to La Joya’s resume.
Since the start of the 2020-2021 season, Dybala has missed 83 matches due to a litany of muscular injuries. Still, despite those setbacks, the 32-year-old forward appeared to turn a corner this season, playing around 1,300 minutes across 22 matches. While his days as a 90-minute warrior had long since passed, Dybala was averaging a healthy 58 minutes per match this season. That might not seem like much, but when used effectively, Dybala can make a big impact in those 58 minutes.
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After beginning 2026 on a tear, starting five of seven matches and contributing one goal and two assists, Dybala has once again been sidelined by injuries. Out with knee pain and inflammation, Dybala hasn’t taken the field since Roma’s 1-1 draw with AC Milan at the end of January.
However, despite that lingering pain, Dybala was available off the bench in last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Juventus. And while he didn’t feature in Roma’s epic collapse, his presence on the bench was still good news for the player and the club.
(Here comes the but)
But… last weekend’s hope quickly faded this morning, as Dybala has been ruled out for Sunday’s fixture against Genoa. With his fellow countryman Matías Soulé also likely to miss the match, Gian Piero Gasperini might be in a tough spot as the club approaches a critical stretch of games, including a two-leg tie against Bologna in the Europa League Round of 16.