At midseason, the Serie B race for promotion is shaping up to be a lot closer than most expected. Juventus, the obvious favorite despite its nine-point penalty, fell to sixth place-the final slot for the promotion playoffs-after suffering its first Serie B defeat to Mantova, 1-0, on Saturday. Indeed, were it not for the points deduction handed to the Bianconeri in addition to their automatic relegation to the Second Division for mixing matches last season, Juve would be six points clear on top of Serie B, with 41 points. As it is, Juve is just three points behind league leader Piacenza, underscoring just how tight the race for promotion is this year. Despite its Saturday loss, Juve, with a game in hand, would move back to the top of the league with a win Tuesday against Cesena. Nevertheless, Juventus coach Didier Deschamps took a defensive stance in explaining his side’s first loss of the season to the Italian press. “There has been a lot of talk recently about the transfer market and the club’s future, and that can often be a distraction,” Deschamps said, adding that that’s not an excuse for the loss, “but all the talk surrounding the team doesn’t help us maintain concentration…Serie B is our reality and until we are sure of promotion, it’s better not to talk about transfers.”