\n<\/p>\n
A set of huge head-to-head matches in the race for the top four are looming. Ahead of them, Juventus were looking at a pair of games against teams firmly in the relegation race \u2014 games that they absolutely couldn\u2019t afford to drop points in.<\/p>\n
So, of course, they did just that in the first one.<\/p>\n
Facing off against a Parma side desperate to open up some space between them and the drop zone, Juventus went about as flat as they\u2019d looked towards the end of Thiago Motta\u2019s tenure. The energy, drive, and purpose that we\u2019d seen in three games in charge of Igor Tudor was absent at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Wednesday night. The home side wasn\u2019t especially brilliant, either, but when Juventus are on one of these crappy days, a single mistake can be all it takes to ruin it completely.<\/p>\n
Three guesses who made that mistake?<\/p>\n
Lloyd Kelly\u2019s abysmal marking gave Parma the lead on the stroke of halftime, and Juve\u2019s attack didn\u2019t fare any better in the second half than it did the first. Juve barely tested Parma\u2019s goal \u2014 except when they lofted ineffectual crosses into the box for the keeper to claim. When the curtain came down on a thoroughly uninspirig performance, Juve was once again on the outside looking in at the Champions League places, although somehow they still controlled their own destiny.<\/p>\n
Tudor was without an injured Teun Koopmeiners and Federico Gatti, while Kenan Yildiz was only fit for the bench after picking up a minor knock in training. He employed his usual 3-4-2-1 setup, anchored by Michele Di Gregorio in goal. Pierre Kalulu, Renato Veiga, and Kelly. Weston McKennie started as the right wing-back, while Andrea Cambiaso was finally healthy enough to make his first start under Tudor on the left. Manuel Locatelli and Kh\u00e9phren Thuram covered midfield, while Nico Gonz\u00e1lez and Randal Kolo Muani played behind Dusan Vlahovic in attack.<\/p>\n
Parma had stabilized their form since replacing Fabio Pecchia with Cristian Chivu. The Romanian had a full roster on hand, although Adri\u00e1n Bernab\u00e9 was coming off an injury. He countered with a 3-5-2. The New Jersey-born Japan international Zion Suzuki (not kidding) started in goal. Lautaro Valenti and Alessandro Vogliacco were joined in the back three by 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni. Enrico Delprato and Emanuele Valeri manned the wing-back spots, while Mandela Keita joined Bernab\u00e9 and Simon Sohm in midfield. Mateo Pellegrino and Ange-Yoan Bonny teamed up up front.<\/p>\n