CRISTIANO RONALDO remains a major doubt for Juventus' Champions League clash with Ajax next week.
His manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed his star man is making progress after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty last week.
Ronaldo, 33, limped off after half an hour of Portugal's 1-1 draw with Serbia and missed his side's weekend win over Empoli.
But with the first leg of their quarter-final with Ajax just nine days away, his chances of playing appear slim.
Allegri said:"Cristiano is working to get back, we hope to have him ready for Ajax, but it will be difficult.
"Today's exam is much better, the leg is much better, then there is a clinical examination and the player's symptoms.
"There are still nine days to go, so we still have time to evaluate things together. He is doing things he can do right now.
"It is normal that you have to be careful in everything and evaluate pros and cons.
Ronaldo inspired Juventus through the last round with a stunning second-leg hat-trick against Atletico Madrid.
It meant Juve overturned a 2-0 deficit after the first leg to progress.
It's best if he misses one game rather than two months of the season. Ronaldo will return when there is no longer any risk of a setback.
Massimiliano Allegri
And Allegri knows just how crucial the 99million man is to Juve's hopes of winning the Champions League this season - but cannot afford to gamble on him in the short-term.
Speaking last week, he said: "We need to be prudent. It's best if he misses one game rather than two months of the season.
"We're heading into the final stages of the season and there's not much time to recover, and we've still got two Champions League games to play.
"Ronaldo will return when there is no longer any risk of a setback.
"Obviously, he's a doubt for the first leg, and Cristiano knows full well that if he's not fit, he won't play because we cannot risk the season in just one game."
Ajax of course dumped his former club Real Madrid out in the last round.
Like Juventus, the Dutch side lost the first leg but Dusan Tadic and Frenkie de Jong helped stun the Bernabeu, beating Los Blancos 4-1 in the second leg to go through.
But before next week's meeting in Amsterdam, Juventus host AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Allegri's side are already 15 points clear at the top of Serie A and can take another giant step towards an eighth-successive title.
The Italian added that Sami Khedira - who has not played since February 15 due to heart treatment for an irregular heartbeat - could be back in action this weekend while Douglas Costa is expected to be available for the trip to Ajax.