Pre-Season Friendlies: Juventus Defeat Standard Liège 1-0

Juventus claimed their first victory of the 2026 pre-season with a narrow 1-0 win over Belgian side Standard Liège on Saturday, marking Luciano Spalletti’s first triumph as Bianconeri head coach.

Fabio Miretti scored the only goal of the match, curling home a powerful free-kick in the 55th minute to secure the win after Juventus had opened their summer preparations with a goalless draw against Basel.

Spalletti was still without several first-team stars following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Gleison Bremer, Weston McKennie, Francisco Conceição, Jonathan David, Kenan Yıldız, and Khéphren Thuram.

The Italian coach fielded a youthful starting lineup featuring academy striker Arman Durmisi alongside experienced players such as Manuel Locatelli, Douglas Luiz, Andrea Cambiaso, and Federico Gatti.

Standard Liège started brightly and created the better chances in the opening half. Timothe Nkada missed a close-range opportunity before Gatti produced a crucial block to deny Alexis Trouillet after a defensive error from Cambiaso.

Juventus gradually settled into the contest, but efforts from Douglas Luiz and Locatelli failed to trouble the hosts before halftime.

Spalletti made several substitutions during the break and switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, introducing Miretti, Mattia Perin, Arthur Melo, Zeki Çelik, João Mário, and Justin Oboavwoduo.

The changes paid off almost immediately as Miretti broke the deadlock with a superb free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder nearly doubled his tally moments later, but his effort was blocked by the Standard defense.

Juventus comfortably managed the remainder of the match to seal a confidence-boosting victory as preparations continue ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.