Ronaldo missed out after a positive coronavirus test and subsequent self-isolation, while Paulo Dybala was named on the bench due to an abdominal problem. Alvaro Morata led the line, while Federico Chiesa made his much-anticipated debut for the Bianconeri.
Leonardo Bonucci fouled Arkadiusz Reca in the area after Juventus were outnumbered on the counter-attack and Simy made no mistake from the penalty spot to hand Crotone a 12th-minute lead.
Morata pulled Juventus level in the 23rd minute. Dejan Kulusevski played Federico Chiesa in down the right, and he found the forward with an inch-perfect low ball across the face of goal. Morata made no mistake, sliding to steer it into the roof of the net.
Shortly before half-time, Manolo Portanova had a good chance to hand the Old Lady the lead. Kulusevski and Chiesa combined to play the youngster in behind, but goalkeeper Alex Cordaz came out to smother his shot.
Crotone went close in the 55th minute to going in front themselves. Simy held the ball up at the edge of the area and laid it off to Luca Cigarini, who took a touch to set himself and curled a right-footed effort across Gianluigi Buffon and towards the top-right corner, but it fizzed just wide.
Chiesa then suffered the ignominious fate of getting sent off on his debut when he was given a straight red card for a lunge on Cigarini in the 60th minute.
Morata's header from Kulusevski's corner hit the post five minutes later before the Spanish striker had a goal ruled out for offside as he was unlucky not to add to his solitary strike.