In what turned out to be a joyless affair at the Allianz Stadium, Juventus kept their positive run intact by collecting a routine win over their visitors Hellas Verona.
In what was almost a duplicated scenario from the reverse fixture, Moise Kean scored the solitary goal of the encounter in the second half, which proved to be worth three points.
The Italian striker made his return from a two-match ban, only to earn himself another suspension by picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. But at least he made his appearance count.
The former Everton man and the returning Arek Milik spearheaded Max Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation which was missing several key players. Angel Di Maria, Filip Kostic and Dusan Vlahovic all entered the pitch in the second half, while Federico Chiesa, Leonardo Bonucci and Paul Pogba weren’t even on the bench.
With the exception of Danilo’s deflected shot which came off the post, Juventus failed to produce a single dangerous chance in what was a joyless first half.
After the break, Fabio Miretti replaced Enzo Barrenechea – who endured a torrid first period – and the Italian midfielder provided a sublime pass to Manuel Locatelli who, in his turn, put Kean through on goal.
Aside from the goal, the Bianconeri scarcely created any chances, but Gleison Bremer missed an absolute sitter in the final minutes.
In the end, Juventus earned the victory in a dull fashion – even the players hardly celebrated at the final whistle – but it still counts for three points.
The Old Lady’s next assignment is a meeting against Inter on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
