If Paul Pogba aims to evade a lengthy suspension that might jeopardize his prime playing years, the upcoming hearing will be crucial.

Scheduled for January 18, the hearing before the Italian anti-doping tribunal will centre on Pogba’s defence against allegations of unknowingly consuming a substance leading to a failed doping test post-Juventus’ opener against Udinese in August.

Despite requesting a retesting of a B sample, yielding identical results, the impending trial looms large.

Prosecutors in Pogba’s case are pushing for a severe four-year ban, potentially spanning into his mid-30s, a detrimental blow to his career trajectory.

Reports suggest Pogba’s legal team won’t pursue a plea deal akin to Nicolo Fagioli’s betting case earlier this year, as Goal Italia’s Romeo Agresti and others in Italian media previously outlined.

While Juventus directors remain patient, opting to await the legal process before deciding Pogba’s future at the club, the midfielder, with 2 1⁄2 years remaining on his four-year deal since his celebrated return in 2021, hasn’t lived up to expectations set during his much-hyped re-entry to the club.

His return has been far from ideal, with the failed doping test standing out as a significant disappointment among numerous setbacks within a relatively short period.

Paul Pogba

This season he played in total twice for 52 minutes for Serie A.

Paul Pogba didn’t score any goal for Juventus. He procured no assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 2nd in Serie A. In the last match Juventus won 1-0 against Napoli. The next match in Serie A will be against Genoa.

Juventus performance and stats

Juventus is currently 2nd in the Serie A with 36 points.

In the last 15 games, it has won 11 times, drawn 3 times, and lost once. In its last match, Juventus won 1-0 against Napoli.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 23 goals and conceding 9.​

Juventus will play the next match in Serie A against Genoa on Friday 15th of December in Genova. The prediction is Juventus winning the match.​