Torino V Juventus Preview

Torino will be heading into the 228th Derby Della Mole in an optimistic mood having only lost one of the opening five Serie A fixtures.

However, recent history has not been kind for the Granata against their city rivals and Toro fans will be tired of reading the same statistics in their morning newspapers. However, in case anybody needs reminding - Torino have not beaten Juventus for eighteen years (April 1995) and have not scored a goal against them since 2002.

The above statistics certainly show that Toro will have their work cut out for them tomorrow to gain a positive result, but looking back at last seasons two fixtures against Juventus, Torino had their opportunities in both games. In the first derby at the Juventus stadium, Toro were very much in the game before Kamil Glik was harshly sent off before half time. And in the last fixture between the two teams, Torino were denied a blatant penalty when Jonathas was tugged back by Leonardo Bonucci, before they then succumbed to two late goals.

Captain Kamil Glik, who has a 100% record of being sent off in this fixture is expected to return to the starting line up after being rested in midweek. Meanwhile, the first choice midfield of Matteo Brighi, Giuseppe Vives and Omar El Kaddouri should also return. Ciro Immobile recovered from illness to play twenty minutes against Hellas on Wednesday, and he should therefore be fit enough to face his former side.

Having scored five goals in as many games this season, Alessio Cerci is Torino's obvious danger man and he will be the man the Juventus defence will have to watch out for. That Juve defence may include former Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna who has featured in their last two games since signing for the club in the summer.

With Juventus facing a Champions League game against Galatasaray on Wednesday there is speculation that Andrea Pirlo may be rested, and if the Bianconeri do have one eye on this fixture, it may give Torino an opportunity to capitalise and clinch a memorable victory.

Forza Torino

Torino V Juventus Preview

 

The narrative of the 227th edition of the Derby della Mole will be largely dependent on what happens in the Pescara-Napoli match on Saturday evening.

If the Partenopei fail to beat the league's bottom side, then Juventus will be able to capture their 29th scudetto by beating the Granata on Sunday afternoon. Given their recent form in this fixture, Torino fans are extremely worried that they could suffer the double blow of being plunged further into relegation trouble, and also simultaneously see their hated neighbours celebrate title success in their own stadium.

Therefore, every Toro fan (and also the Italian police) will be keeping fingers and everything else crossed that Napoli will beat Pescara tonight, and ensure that this scenario is not possible.

It is also very difficult to ignore Torino's recent form against Juventus, as they haven't beaten La Vecchia Signora since April 1995, and have not even scored against them in the last seven fixtures. These two stats do make troublesome reading for those of a Granata persuasion, but they may be buoyed by the fact that in the first derby of the season, they held their own before Kamil Glik's harsh red card before half time. Torino eventually lost 3-0 after second half goals from Turin born Claudio Marchisio (2) and Sebastian Giovinco.

Toro's recent league form (and poor defensive record) is also a worry, and with Matteo Darmian suspended, the inclusion of mistake-merchant Salvatore Masiello is enough to give every fan a sleepless night. One possibility could be to move Angelo Ogbonna - a rumoured transfer target of Juventus - over to left back, and bring in Guillermo Rodriguez to renew his successful defensive partnership with the reliable Kamil Glik.

In midfield, the inclusion of Matteo Brighi in the squad is certainly a boost, and whilst the former Juventus  player's best days may be behind him, Torino do seem to do better with him in the starting eleven. His return from injury could tempt Giampiero Ventura into switching from his usual 4-2-4 formation, and choosing to play Brighi, Migjen Basha and Alessandro Gazzi in a 4-3-3.

In attack, after his impressive performance in the 4-3 defeat at Fiorentina (where Toro fought back from 3-0 down before succumbing in the final five minutes) Paulo Barreto should have done enough to ensure that he will be included in the starting eleven. Ventura does seem to prefer the mobility of hardworking but goal-shy Riccardo Meggiorini, but if he does decide to play two strikers, many Toro fans will hope that captain Rolando Bianchi is given the nod - in what is likely to be his last Derby della Mole appearance.

A huge task is certainly ahead of the Granata to gain anything from this match, and in all honesty they would probably need a number of Juve players to seriously under perform in order to even earn a draw. However, that is what makes derby matches so special, in that every fixture is unique - and whilst it may be a massive cliché, the form book truly goes out of the window.

However, I think I speak for every Toro supporter when I say that as long as every player gives everything they have on the field tomorrow afternoon, then realistically - given the vast difference in budgets between the two teams - nobody will be too surprised if they fail to win.

Forza Torino

Juventus 3-0 Torino

Torino's seventeen year wait for a Derby della Mole victory will continue after they were beaten 3-0 by Juventus on Saturday night, but the turning point was undoubtedly Kamil Glik's 36th minute red card.

Somewhat surprisingly Giampiero Ventura started the game with the same team that gained a point against Fiorentina six days ago, a bold move as that 4-2-4 line up included strikers Riccardo Meggiorini and Rolando Bianchi, as well as wingers Alessio Cerci and Mario Santana.

The Granata started brightly, and Mario Santana cut in on his right foot to test Gianluigi Buffon with a low shot, but the experienced goalkeeper dealt with the shot easily. The away side were continuing to take the game to the league leaders, and after capitalising on a mistake by Leonardo Bonucci, Riccardo Meggiorini should have given Toro the lead, but his shot went wide of the far post.

That scare seemed to wake La Vecchia Signora up, and young midfielder Paul Pogba tested Jean-Francois Gillet with a volley from 25 yards out, which was initially parried by the Belgian stopper before being cleared for a corner by Kamil Glik. Pogba again tried his luck from distance minutes later, but this time Gillet was able to tip the ball over the bar with little difficulty.

The turning point arose on 36 minutes when Polish defender Kamil Glik was shown a straight red card by referee Gianluca Rocchi for a foul on Emanuele Giaccherini. Whilst Glik did get the ball, the challenge was somewhat reckless, and was also unnecessary as the ball was on the half way line. 

If it was a tough ask to get anything from this game with eleven men, it was almost impossible after being reduced to ten - and Riccardo Meggiorini was sacrificed in order for centre back Valerio Di Cesare to come on. Five minutes before half time Juventus were awarded a penalty after Migjen Basha slipped and inadvertently upended the impressive Pogba . 

However, the pressure of the derby seemed to get to the usually reliable Andrea Pirlo, and he blasted the penalty over the bar  - and somehow Torino got to the half time break with the scores level at 0-0.

Juventus should have taken the lead immediately after the restart, when Mirko Vucinic's cross was flicked on by substitute Niklas Bendtner, but somehow Pogba put his header over the bar. However with just over thirty minutes to go, the bianconeri finally took the lead, as two Turin-born players combined when Claudio Marchisio met Sebastian Giovinco's fine cross to plant a diving header past the helpless Gillet.

The home side doubled their lead ten minutes later, when Giovinco got on the score sheet himself as he fired a low shot into the far corner from just inside the area. Juve had chances to extend their lead as Paul Pogba once again continued his individual battle with Jean-Francois Gillet, and once again the Torino goalkeeper prevailed as he made another fine save to deny the Frenchman. 

With six minutes remaining Juventus scored once again, as Vucinic chested the ball back to Marchisio who scored his second goal of the night with a powerful left footed shot into the far corner, and once again Gillet had no chance of saving it. The Granata had half chances to end their decade wait for a Derby della Mole goal, but they will now have to wait until the end of April to try and end that unwanted statistic as the game ended 3-0.

As Giampiero Ventura stated in his post match interview, the game was effectively finished as a contest after Kamil Glik's first half red card - although Toro fans may wonder what would have happened had he not been dismissed, as the Granata had certainly matched their opponents up until that point. However, it wasn't to be, and Torino must quickly forget about this game and focus on the next one - at home to a resurgent AC Milan next Sunday afternoon.

Forza Torino

Juventus V Torino 'Derby della Mole' Preview

It is finally here. The biggest game of the season so far as Torino make their shortest trip of the season - just 12km - to face their most hated rivals Juventus on Saturday evening.

In the build up for this match, much has been made of the fact that this derby is perhaps more important for Torino fans than their Juventus counterparts, many of whom probably weren't even born the last time they lost to the Granata (for the record it was April 9th 1995). Whilst this game is probably more important for Torino, Juventus are the team that has it all to lose - they are expected to win - and this should allow Torino a certain amount of freedom to express themselves, and not just be content to 'park the bus'.

Now I'm not suggesting that Giampiero Ventura sends his team out to attack with reckless abandon, but Torino have shown on many occasions this season that they are defensively well organised, and as the 5-1 victory at Atalanta highlighted, they are able to counter attack with both pace and intelligence. Therefore, if Toro are to get anything from this match, it is essential that they continue to do these three things, and perhaps most importantly, that they do not get overawed by the occasion - which admittedly may be difficult given the lack of Derby della Mole experience within the squad.

Another key factor in this match will be the battle of the 'registas' - Andrea Pirlo vs...... well Torino don't actually have a deep lying play maker. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that Toro do not allow Pirlo to dominate the midfield with his excellent array of long and short passing. When Juventus' long unbeaten record was finally broken by Inter at the beginning of the month, they were able to press the veteran midfielder extremely effectively, and with two high energy defensive midfielders - Alessandro Gazzi and Migjen Basha - Torino will hopefully be able to emulate Inter, and nullify the obvious threat of 'The Bearded Genius'.

Juventus are almost certain to dominate the majority of statistics, but the only one that will matter at the end of ninety minutes will be the final score - and in order to keep La Vecchia Signora from scoring, Jean-Francois Gillet will have to to be at his very best. The Belgian goalkeeper has had a great season since signing for Torino in the summer, and he will have to be in fine form on Saturday evening for Torino to get a result. Former Torino goalkeepers Stefano Sorrentino and Federico Marchetti have both performed miracles against the Bianconeri so far this season, and Gillet certainly has the ability to do the same.

Juve face a difficult game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night, as they need at least a point in order to guarantee qualification from their Champions League group. Now although a draw would be enough to send both teams through, the Ukrainian champions will certainly be wary of looking to 'play for a draw' - especially after incurring the wrath of the footballing world after Luiz Adriano's controversial goal against Nordsjaelland a fortnight ago. Therefore, Juventus will certainly have one eye on that fixture, and whilst I don't expect Antonio Conte to rest too many of his regular starting eleven, those players who do play may foolishly attempt to conserve energy for that fixture - which Torino could capitalise on. Key players Arturo Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini have recovered from injuries to be included in the Juventus squad, although Martin Caceres misses out.

Torino have almost a fully fit squad to choose from, and Giampiero Ventura has included a hefty 23 players in the travelling party for this match. I would expect Torino to line up in a 4-2-4 formation whilst in possession, that reverts to a 4-3-3 when out of possession. The key player for this potential plan is veteran midfielder and Joey Barton look-alike Giuseppe Vives, who despite naturally being a central midfielder, has featured on the left side of midfield a number of times in his Torino career.

Possible Starting Elevens

Juventus (3-5-2) : Buffon; Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli; Giaccherini, Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio, Lichtsteiner; Giovinco, Vucinic

Torino (4-2-4) : Gillet; Darmian, Glik, Ogbonna, D'Ambrosio; Basha, Gazzi, Vives, Cerci; Bianchi, Meggiorini (Sgrigna)

Prediction

Now on my normal match previews this is where I would provide a score prediction for the upcoming match. However on this occasion, as a superstitious person, I can't make a prediction for the derby, just in case my guess somehow jinxed the final outcome (stupid I know). However, as long as the team gives it absolutely everything, and leaves it all out there on the field - then whatever happens come the final whistle, I will still be proud to be a Torino fan. One stat that does not make for pleasant reading is the fact that Torino haven't even scored a goal against Juventus in over a decade (February 2002), and that certainly needs to be rectified as soon as possible - hopefully by this time tomorrow.

Forza Torino!