Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus were once again frustrated, settling for a goalless draw against city rivals Torino in a fiercely contested Derby della Mole where both goalkeepers stole the spotlight.
The Bianconeri’s start under new manager Luciano Spalletti has been a mixed one, after a 2-1 Serie A victory at Cremonese, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sporting CP in the Champions League midweek.
Spalletti was still without Gleison Bremer, Lloyd Kelly, Juan Cabal, and Arek Milik, though Dusan Vlahovic and Khephren Thuram were passed fit to play.
Torino, unbeaten in five matches and fresh from a comeback 2-2 draw against Pisa, were led by assistant Leonardo Colucci in the absence of suspended coach Marco Baroni, with only Perr Schuurs and Zanos Savva missing.
Torino’s last triumph over Juventus dates back to April 2015, and they have not won away to their city rivals since 1995, a statistic that loomed large as the two sides clashed again.
Juventus looked sharper early on, with Francisco Conceição weaving past defenders before seeing his effort blocked by Guillermo Maripán.
Weston McKennie also squandered a good chance after a perfect Vlahovic through ball. Maripán was again decisive moments later, cutting out a dangerous Conceição cross that was inches away from finding Vlahovic.
At the other end, Michele Di Gregorio reacted quickly to deny Giovanni Simeone from close range, while Torino keeper Alberto Paleari pulled off a fine save to push Conceição’s curling shot just wide of the far post.
Simeone thought he had broken the deadlock right after halftime, but his goal was ruled out for offside following a Cesare Casadei assist.
Juventus responded through Thuram and Kenan Yildiz, though a desperate Ardian Ismajli tackle prevented a likely goal.
Torino began to dominate possession late on, with substitute Che Adams heading wide and forcing Di Gregorio into a superb fingertip save from a fierce drive moments later.
Paleari, not to be outdone, raced off his line to deny Jonathan David and later made a stunning reflex stop from McKennie’s powerful header.
Kristjan Asllani’s long-range strike whistled inches over, while Yildiz saw his shot deflected wide in the dying minutes.
Juventus continued to push until the end, but Lois Openda’s curling effort in stoppage time was deflected behind, unnoticed by the officials, as the city derby ended with both sides forced to share the spoils once again.
