Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Juventus v Sporting CP - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - November 4, 2025 Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti speaks to Manuel Locatelli during the match REUTERS/Claudia Greco
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TURIN (Reuters) -Juventus failed to pick up a victory in their fourth straight Champions League game on Tuesday after drawing 1-1 with Sporting but new manager Luciano Spalletti said he was impressed by his side's heart and desire and is confident the wins will come.
Spalletti's predecessor Igor Tudor was sacked last month following of an eight-game winless run in all competitions.
The new coach, who accepted a short-term deal to rescue the struggling side, picked up a Serie A win over Cremonese in his first game in charge but was unable to steer them to a win on home soil that would have reignited their European campaign.
The Italians, who have three points from their four games, fell behind to Maximiliano Araujo's early opener before Dusan Vlahovic equalised in the 34th minute.
"I'm pleased with the performance of the team. We showed that we have character, and the guys showed their desire to win the game," said former Italy boss Spalletti. "If we play like this going forward, we'll win plenty of matches.
"The reaction we got right from the start gave me hope, it seemed as though the whole stadium understood the team's approach well, and that's a good sign."
Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners said they showed a lot of good things against Sporting but there were areas they had to improve on. The Dutchman was deployed in a deeper role against Sporting and said he felt more comfortable there.
"I feel much better in this position, because I am not a forward who plays with his back to goal, where I played in other games," he told Sky Sports Italia. "I told Spaletti and the representatives of the club that too."
Juventus will travel to Bodo/Glimt on November 25 for their next Champions League game.
((Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford))
