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When the Juventus starting lineup was announced for the first Derby della Mole of the season against city rival Torino, there was one noticeable absence — goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon. So why would Buffon miss out on the game despite the fact that he was one of the 20 players called up for the matchday squad and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on?
The 36-year-old Buffon has missed out on Saturday's Turin derby due to a shoulder injury that flared up during Juve's win over Malmö in the Champions League on Wednesday night. In his place, longtime backup Marco Storari has gotten the start, calling the 37-year-old understudy into action in an official game for the first time in months.
An injury to @gianluigibuffon's right shoulder keeps him out of tonight's game. He trained as usual but is not 100 per cent for #JuveTorino.
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) November 30, 2014
Buffon had played every minute of every game in both Serie A and the Champions League to date. In the first 12 games of the season, Buffon has allowed just four goals and posted nine clean sheets — which are tops in the league and tied for the most in all of Europe with Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
With Buffon out, Storari — who will likely see plenty of action once Juve begin their Coppa Italia campaign later this season — is making his first start of the season. It's his first appearance since Juventus' 1-0 win over Rome at the Stadio Olimpico last May, a game where he made seven saves en route to a clean sheet.
