The 156th edition of the Derby della Mole will be a crunch affair due to the single point separating Juventus from Torino.
In the recent history of the Derby della Mole, Juventus have had the upper hand at all times over Torino. Had it not been for the FIGC ruling and the 15 points deduction, the Bianconeri would have been competing for the second spot, possibly even for the title.
However, as they prepare to host local rivals Torino at the Allianz Stadium, the two sides are separated by a single point, with Juventus slightly ahead. Massimiliano Allegri’s side initially stuttered after the FIGC ruling. But they have recently found their form on the pitch.
It's Derby week! ๐ชโ๏ธ#JuveToro ๐ pic.twitter.com/p1nzloSe5X
— JuventusFC ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ (@juventusfcen) February 27, 2023
Since their terrible loss to Monza at the end of January, Juventus have won three Serie A games on the bounce while going unbeaten in five across all competitions. They come into this derby after a stunning victory over Nantes that took them into the Last 16 of the Europa League.
Torino will hope they have luck on their side when they visit local rivals Juventus. For starters, they have not beaten their opponents in 17 derbies, losing 13 of those. However, Ivan Juric will likely look at this as an opportunity with the window still not completely shut on them to beat their rivals.
Torino have been on a decent run if recent form is anything to go by. They are top-half contenders as things stand, and a victory will take them above Juventus on the table. They could only finish with a 2-2 draw to bottom-placed Cremonese on the previous matchday.
In that game, Torino took the lead but then found themselves chasing the relegation-threatened side. Wilfried Singo’s 79th-minute equaliser salvaged a draw, but that is not what Juric will see as a confidence booster. They will come into this Derby della Mole as the second favourites but will sense an opportunity nevertheless.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri will have to do without key midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who is suspended for this clash. He joins Fabio Miretti and Arkadiusz Milik, who are out with injuries. Juventus will have Wojciech Szczesny back in action, while Gleison Bremer could recover in time to face his former side.
๐ฃ "๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ธ๐ข๐บ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ." โช๏ธโซ๏ธโ๏ธ#JuveToro ๐
— JuventusFC ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ (@juventusfcen) February 27, 2023
Paul Pogba remains unavailable for selection, and Leandro Paredes will become the obvious choice to sit at the base of midfield in Locatelli’s absence. Adrien Rabiot and Nicolo Fagioli on either side will join him.
Alex Sandro, Bremer and Danilo will form the back three in central defence, with Juan Cuadrado and Filip Kostic operating as wing-backs in the setup. Up front, Dusan Vlahovic will be one of the two forward. The Serb could become the fourth Juventus striker to score in both Turin Derbies in a single season.
Finally, there will be Angel Di Maria, who has been Juventus’s most productive player since the turn of the year. The Argentine veteran has created 20 chances, scored three goals and provided two assists in that period. He will play alongside Vlahovic in the front two.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2):ย Sczczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Paredes, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Vlahovic
Torino
There are a handful of absentees for Torino for the Derby clash, although Ivan Juric will retain his 3-4-2-1 shape for this clash. Valentino Lazaro, David Zima, Pietro Pellegri and Nikola Vlasic are indeed missing from action.
๐๏ธ | CONFERENZA
Dalle ore 19.30 la conferenza di mister Juric, live su Torino Channel
๐ฒ App iOS e Android
๐ฅ๏ธ https://t.co/M7Afxqx7Uh๐ https://t.co/md3lrHLH1z#SFT | #JuveToro pic.twitter.com/wG0XMR2Axk
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) February 27, 2023
Samuel Ricci and Ronaldo Vieira have yet to recover from their problems, with the latter set to miss at least the next two weeks of action. Ola Aina is suspended, which leaves Juric with limited options to choose from.
The only player to have scored against this Juventus squad from Torino is centre-forward Antonio Sanabria, who will lead the line. At the back, Alessandro Buongiorno should come in the side for Ricardo Rodriguez.
Karol Linetty and January arrival Ivan Ilic should have a central midfield partnership, with Yann Karamoh and Aleksey Miranchuk playing advanced roles behind Sanabria. On the flanks, Singo and Mergim Vojvoda should take up the wing-back positions for Torino.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1):ย Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Schuurs, Buongiorno; Singo, Linetty, Illic, Vijvoda; Karamoh, Miranchuk; Sanabria
Key Stats
- Torino have not won a league fixture against Juventus since April 1995.
- Torino have lost 11 of their last 16 league derbies with Juventus.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 14 matches in Serie A.
- Juventus are undefeated in their last 17 home matches against Torino in all competitions.
- Juventus have won their last three matches in Serie A.
Player to Watch
Angel Di Maria
After joining the club last summer, the Argentine had a quiet start to life as a Juventus player. While the World Cup triumph played a part in his recent revival of form, the attacker has been the Turn side’s most productive player since the turn of the year. And his form has attracted clubs like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
In 2023, Di Maria has three goals and two assists while creating 20 chances for his teammate. History shows such form from the attacker always tends to improve with the season, and Juventus will surely hope that is the case against Torino.
Prediction
Juventus 2-0 Torino
Torino may have sensed a good opportunity in this fixture when Juventus began showing dreadful for in the aftermath of the FIGC ruling. Yet, they barely might stand a chance considering how Massimiliano Allegri has revived his side’s fortunes.
Torino, themselves, are not in a great run of form and could continue to bridge the single-point gap with their local rivals. We expect Juventus to take all three points comfortably and score at least two goals to build towards a possible top-four or top-six finish.
