Juventus and Torino will contest the first Derby della Mole of this season, with the Bianconeri eager to get among those sitting up top.
Juventus, who face Torino this weekend, are in desperate need of a win to get among those sitting at the top of the standings in Serie A. Last weekend, the Bianconeri could not break down an Atalanta defence but had goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny keep the scores intact and share the spoil of points.
The result left Juventus fourth in the standings, as they had a good chance to keep up the pressure and now find themselves four points adrift of the Milan clubs. The draw with Atalanta came only days after Massimiliano Allegri’s men beat early season surprises Lecce.
⚽️ al sicuro 🧤🤯 pic.twitter.com/6szdepuF3X
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) October 2, 2023
However, Juventus have a fantastic record to protect in the Derby della Mole against Torino, as they are currently 18 games unbeaten against their Turin rivals. They are also separated by five points on the table, a gap that Allegri will aim to increase by the end of the weekend.
Speaking of records against a particular team, Torino have not only lost the most Serie A games against Juventus, they have also conceded the most goals in their league history against the Bianconeri. In fact, the Granata have only one victory to show for in their 34 attempts against their counterparts.
While this game has produced predictable results over the last many decades, Torino will not look to back down just yet. A win against Juventus will boost their confidence to another level while also helping them climb up the table to keep in line with their lofty ambitions.
Like Juventus, Torino also endured a goalless draw in their weekend adventures, as Ivan Juric’s side failed to break down the Hellas Verona defence. The Granata have a flailing attacking setup, which has struggled to find goals. They have already not scored in three of their seven games and last found the net through Duvan Zapata against AS Roma some two weeks ago.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri had to deploy a makeshift attack by the standards set this season. Moise Kean started alongside Federico Chiesa, but Arkadiusz Milik might come in for the latter. Dusan Vlahovic and Chiesa are doubtful. But if they pass their respective assessments, then a place on the bench is not out of the question.
🗣 Coach Allegri talks #JuveToro ahead of Saturday's Derby: 🧵 pic.twitter.com/ZEzDYx6SV0
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) October 6, 2023
Allegri will hope to have at least one of those forwards fit and firing before the weekend and will certainly want the duo ready after the international break. Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio remain injury-led absentees, while Paul Pogba remains out of contention for the foreseeable future owing to his doping case.
Hence, the chances of Allegri naming an unchanged lineup are huge, with Gleison Bremer, Danilo and Federico Gatti once again primed to lead the backline. Weston McKennie and Andrea Cambiaso are likely to remain in their wing positions as well.
In the attack, Allegri will once again depend on Milik and Kean to provide the goods while certainly expecting a better performance from the latter compared to what he did against Atalanta.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; McKennie, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso; Milik, Kean
Torino
Ivan Juric will have hoped to pick his strongest eleven against Juventus. But his side continues its journey plagued by injury issues. As many as eight players are in line to miss the derby, and among the host of absentees, Torino will rely on former Atalanta man Zapata to score the goals and lead the line.
✌️giorni al Derby! 🐂#SFT | #JuveToro pic.twitter.com/vjc7DRCdml
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) October 5, 2023
In-demand defender Perr Schuurs will lead the defensive back three, with Adrien Tameze and Ricardo Rodriguez alongside the Dutchman. Raoul Bellanova and Valentino Lazaro are expected to keep their wing spots intact, with a midfield double pivot of Samuele Ricci and Ivan Ilic sandwiched between them.
With Zapata the likely candidate to lead the line, Torino will rely on the double attacking setup of Yann Karamoh and Nikola Vlasic to provide the ammunition to their striker. With injuries and absentees plaguing the side, Juric will rely on his starting eleven to work wonders as his bench options seem depleted at the moment.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Schuurs, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ilic, Ricci, Lazaro; Vlasic, Karamoh; Zapata
Key Stats
- Juventus have won 21 of their last 26 matches against Torino in all competitions.
- Juventus have kept the joint-most clean sheets (37) in Serie A since August 2021.
- Juventus managed only one shot in the second half of their 0-0 draw with Atalanta.
- Torino have lost most Serie A games and conceded most goals in their league history against Juventus.
- Torino have failed to score in three of their seven Serie A games this season.
Player to Watch
Arkadiusz Milik
After scoring the winner against Lecce last week, Milik missed out in the game against Atalanta, and the lack of experience in the frontline showed. Kean is a good fit but somewhat struggles without a big figurehead up front, and Milik might be able to provide that.
Allegri needs to have the Pole back in contention and even start the game, as his other two main forwards could potentially miss out. These are games; when Milik has to make himself useful and take on minimal chances, he might get up front and prove his clinical nature in the striker’s role.
Prediction
Juventus 1-0 Torino
Torino have not been able to score in three of their seven games this season and could once again struggle to do so owing to the many players they are currently missing. More so, Juric’s side are seemingly relying on Zapata to get the work done, and the striker might struggle against this Juventus backline.
In recent games, Juventus have indeed struggled to open up defences without one of Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa, and that might remain the case in the derby. Yet, they have the quality to change that in an instant, and the likes of Arkadiusz Milik or Moise Kean might have the final say in this game, which could go the Bianconeri’s way rather narrowly.
