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The 26-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury on 26 October last year but he played in the recent friendly against Chapecoense, scoring from the penalty spot.
“His time has come: he'll start the match tomorrow,” the coach told the gathered media during a news conference on Friday.
“He's come a long way. Now we'll get to see how he does out there but I'm sure he'll produce a top performance because I've seen how motivated he is.”
The coach also confirmed that the Italy international, who is widely renowned for his versatility, will play at full-back against Verona.
“Alessandro will play in defence tomorrow but it depends on the type of game. It wouldn't have been wise to bring in a player who's not 100% match fit against Atletico but tomorrow I need players with certain attacking attributes.”
Patrik Schick was also declared fit enough to be included in the matchday squad.
“Schick will be in the squad. He had a minor muscle strain which meant he had to sit out a few days' training. He obviously hasn't got 90 minutes in him – not all of the guys who have been training for a while do so he certainly doesn't – but he's a handy option to have on the bench. He could have a big impact as a sub.”
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