Spalletti apologises after Genoa defeat leaves Juventus level with Napoli on 14 points

Juventus lost 2-0 at Genoa on Serie A Matchday 9, a third league defeat in nine games that undid the good work of the win at Lecce. Napoli, the next visitors to Turin, now have the same points total.

The defeat came on 28 October 2026, with both Genoa goals arriving before half-time. Luciano Spalletti apologised to the supporters afterwards. The result came three days after a 2-0 win at Lecce on Matchday 8. That win, built on first-half goals from Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz, now looks like a false dawn.

Genoa needed little time to break through, and Ehizibue was the man to do it. His goal ended a 504-minute run without a Genoa goal against Juventus in Serie A, going back to an Albert Gudmundsson strike on 15 December 2023, Sportmediaset reported.

Baldanzi then exposed the Juventus defence again. Scoring and setting up a goal in one Serie A match was new for Baldanzi.

Juventus created little and could not respond after the break

Juventus’s best chance of the first half came just before the interval. Kalulu shot off target after a pass from McKennie. Spalletti sent on Edon Zhegrova and Nick Woltemade for the second half. The changes did not help, and Genoa held firm. The win moved Daniele De Rossi’s side up to 10 points.

The coach did not hide from the performance. His team were beaten in every area of the pitch and must improve physically and in their fighting spirit, Spalletti told the club’s website. In his press conference he pointed to a lack of physical impact and to lost duels.

He also noted that the level shown at Lecce had not been repeated. There had been no training session between the two matches. That short turnaround is part of his explanation.

Napoli arrive in Turin after a comfortable night at Monza

The evening got worse elsewhere. Napoli won 4-1 at Monza, with goals from Højlund, Politano, Rafa Marín and De Bruyne. Their coach, Massimiliano Allegri, watched from the stands. He was serving a two-match ban picked up against Roma.

Spalletti described Napoli as a very strong team. Both sides sit well behind the top of the table, so the meeting carries weight for each.

The response he wants will have to come quickly, with little time to work on the training ground. A home crowd that received an apology on Wednesday will be watching closely.

After the Napoli game, Juventus travel to Fiorentina on Sunday 8 November at 20:45.