SPAL 1-1 Torino

Torino secured their Serie A status for next season as they clinched the point needed against already relegated SPAL on Sunday night.

Lecce's defeat against Bologna just before kick off meant that Toro knew a point would be enough to guarantee their survival.

Toro dominated the first half, but struggled to create clear chances, with Simone Zaza dragging his shot wide of the target.

The away side took the lead just before the hour mark in sensational fashion thanks to a left footed curling effort from Simone Verdi which gave debutant goalkeeper Demba Thiam absolutely no chance.

The Granata were then guilty of missing opportunities to double their lead, with both Simone Zaza and Verdi missing good chances. They were punished by these wasted chances as with ten minutes remaining substitute Marco D'Alessandro equalised after Soualiho Meite lost the ball on half way.

However, Moreno Longo was relatively content with the final result as he achieved his aim of keeping Toro in Serie A - although it has certainly not been convincing.

Forza Toro

Torino 3-0 Genoa

Torino all but secured their Serie A status with a vital 3-0 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Grande Torino on Thursday evening.

Moreno Longo once again chose to line up with Simone Zaza and Andrea Belotti up front, with Simone Verdi offering support in a 3-4-1-2 formation.

The away started the better, and Salvatore Sirigu made a good save to deny Andrea Pinamonti from Iago Falque's cross.

However, just as he had done in the reverse fixture, Bremer headed Toro into the lead, this time from Simone Verdi's inswinging corner.

At the start of the second half, Toro were once again thankful for Sirigu, as the Italian international made three excellent saves in quick succession to deny Antonio Sanabria, Lasse Schöne and Andrea Pinamonti.

Toro then doubled their lead with fifteen minutes remaining, as excellent work from Andrea Belotti then allowed substitute Sasa Lukic to curl home from outside the area.

There was still time for the Torino captain to score in a seventh consecutive game, as Belotti fired a left footed rocket past Mattia Perin to seal all three points for the Granata.

Forza Toro

Inter v Torino Preview

Torino will head to the San Siro to face Inter on Monday evening looking to pick up more points to secure their Serie A status.

Armando Izzo is available again following suspension, and could replace Lyanco in the back three, whilst Alex Berenguer is expected to replace the suspended Simone Zaza.

Inter have suffered a couple of disappointing results since the restart, with a defeat against Bologna in their last home game all but ending their slim hopes of a title challenge. However, a victory here would move the Nerazzurri into 2nd place.

Prediction
Inter 3-1 Torino

Hellas Verona 3-3 Torino

Torino somehow let a three goal lead slip in the final twenty minutes on Sunday afternoon against Hellas Verona.

Andrea Belotti was surprisingly named on the bench, as Walter Mazzarri continued with the trident of Simone Zaza, Alex Berenguer and Simone Verdi in attack.

Toro thought they had opened the scoring when Alex Berenguer thumped home from the edge of the area. However, the ball had gone out of play just before Tomas Rincon pulled the ball back.

However, Toro took the lead ten minutes before halftime when Cristian Ansaldi fired home from a difficult angle.

The Granata then doubled their lead ten minutes after the break, as Alex Berenguer scored an excellent individual effort, albeit with the aid of a deflection.

Cristian Ansaldi then continued his sensational run of form as he volleyed home from outside the area to give Torino a 3-0 lead.

However, with twenty minutes remaining, the home side earned a penalty when Bremer was adjudged to have handled Mariusz Stępiński's cross following a VAR consultation. Substitute Giampaolo Pazzini stepped up to convert the penalty and reduce the deficit.

Hellas pulled another goal back when Pazzini's volley was sensationally saved by Salvatore Sirigu, but Valerio Verre was on hand to score from close range.

The comeback was complete with five minutes remaining, as Ola Aina played Stępiński on side from a free kick, and the Polish striker volleyed home to deny Toro all three points.

Forza Toro

Serie A 2013/14 Fixtures Released

Torino will begin the 2013/14 Serie A campaign with a home fixture against newly promoted Sassuolo on either the 24th or 25th of August.

Former Toro defender Angelo Ogbonna will not have long to wait to face his old teammates, as the Granata face Juventus at home in week 6 at the end of September. The second 'Derby della Mole' of the season will be played at the Juventus Stadium, and will take place in mid-February.

The Granata will finish the season with a tough fixture away at Fiorentina, with the Viola likely to be challenging for a Champions League spot as they were last season.

The full list of fixtures for the upcoming season can be found here. 

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

Menga arrives, Sansone departs

 

Torino have completed the signing of Belgian winger Dolly Menga on loan from Lierse S.K, whilst striker Gianluca Sansone has left the club to sign for Sampdoria.

19 year old Menga began his career at Standard Liege, but after failing to break into the first team, the Belgian under 21 international moved on to Sint-Truiden and then to Lierse. Despite being predominately left footed, Menga usually plays on the right wing - and he has scored two goals in twenty appearances this season.

It was a busy day at the club on Friday evening, as striker Gianluca Sansone left the club to join Sampdoria on a co-ownership deal. After signing from Sassuolo in the summer, Sansone struggled to become a regular in the Torino starting eleven, and he only managed to score one goal - against Napoli in November.

Torino V Chievo Preview

Torino will hope to give their fans an early Christmas present when they face an important clash with Chievo on Saturday afternoon.

Despite a promising start to the season, the fact remains that Torino have only won three games all season, and they go into this fixture with a lengthy list of absentees. Mario Santana, Simone Verdi and Alen Stevanovic are all injured, so Giampiero Ventura is struggling for attacking options.

Gianluca Sansone, who is rumoured to be leaving the club when the transfer window re-opens in January, could be given one last chance to impress - although Ventura is probably more likely to pick Alessandro Sgrigna or Riccardo Meggiorini to partner Rolando Bianchi upfront.

Often mocked for their poor attendances and lack of supporters, Chievo are in fine form having won their last three games under the management of former Torino favourite Eugenio Corini. Former Milan striker Alberto Paloschi has scored four goals in his last three matches for the 'Flying Donkeys', whilst Sergio Pellissier (who began his career at Toro) scored the winner in their surprise victory against Roma last weekend.

Prediction
Torino 2-1 Chievo

Torino 0-1 Cagliari

Torino succumbed to their second defeat of the season as they were beaten 1-0 by bottom of the table Cagliari on Sunday afternoon.

The home side made just the one change from the team that thrashed Atalanta in their last outing, as Alen Stevanovic replaced Mario Santana in midfield.

Captain Rolando Bianchi had Torino's first half chance of the match, as he attempted an ambitious header from Matteo Darmian's cross, but Cagliari keeper Michael Agazzi stopped it with ease.

At the other end, Cagliari, who were keen to impress new management team Ivo Pulga and Diego Lopez, came close to opening the scoring, but Toro were thankful that Jean Francois Gillet was able to tip Fernando Avelar's shot over the bar.

The second half began with Cagliari continuing to look threatening and Radja Nainggolan cleverly evaded Angelo Ogbonna, before drilling his shot wide of Gillet's goal. And with fifteen minutes remaining, the away side were given the opportunity to take the lead after Kamil Glik was harshly adjudged to have handled Davide Astori's volley inside the area, and striker Nenê smashed home the resulting penalty.

The Isolani then came close to doubling their lead, as Victor Ibarbo was put through on goal - but the Colombian striker was denied by the post. That chance seemed to give Torino the wake up call they needed, and when Rolando Bianchi headed home a Giuseppe Vives free kick, it seemed as though the home side had rescued a point - but the goal was disallowed because of a marginal offside.

In the closing stages, substitute Gianluca Sansone delivered a teasing cross that found captain Rolando Bianchi once again, but his improvised shot at goal went just wide of the post, and Cagliari held on for their first win of the season. 

Whilst this was undoubtedly a disappointing result, no Granata fan can be that surprised that they followed up an impressive 5-1 away victory with a home defeat against a team who were bottom of the league - because that's just what Toro do.

Forza Torino

Torino V Inter Preview

Torino return to Serie A action after a two week break with a home game against Champions League hopefuls Inter on Sunday night.

The Granata come into the game in good form, after beating Pescara 3-0 a fortnight ago, whilst Inter lost 3-1 at home to Roma in their last outing. Torino may revert to a 4-3-3 formation that was so successful against the so called 'bigger' teams last season, and that could lead to Alessio Cerci starting his first game for the club. However, Toro will be without fellow new signing Valter Birsa who picked up an injury whilst on international duty with Slovenia in midweek and is expected to be out for three weeks.

Opponents Inter have had a mixed start to the season, with one victory and one defeat from their opening two fixtures. Andrea Stramaccioni's side is much-changed from last season, and they should line up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with play maker Wesley Sneijder just behind strikers Antonio Cassano and Diego Milito.

The history books certainly favour Inter, as Torino have not beaten the Nerazzurri since February 1994, when goals from Paulo Poggi and Sandro Cois gave the Granata a 2-0 victory.

Prediction
Torino 1-1 Inter

Torino FC Prediction Game

As regular followers of the blog will know, at the end of each match preview I usually give my own individual prediction of what I believe the score will be.

Whilst I have had mixed successes doing this, I've decided it could be an idea to open this up to anybody else who wants to try and predict Torino's results, and at the end of the season, whoever is most successful, will win a small prize.

Rules

• Predictions will only count for Torino's 38 league games this season, and all predictions must be sent to me either via the comments section on the blog, or on Twitter by the time the match you are attempting to predict kicks off. 
• Scoring will be as follows - a correct prediction will earn three points, predicting the correct margin of victory will earn two points, and if the result is correct, that will earn one point.
• For example, by these rules, if you were predicting last weeks Coppa Italia match against Lecce, if you had put down your prediction as being 4-2 to Torino(the actual result) you would have gained the maximum three points. If you thought it would be 2-0 to Torino, you would get two points, and if you thought the result would be 1-0 to Torino, you would gain one point.

Hopefully that all makes sense, there is no obligation to make a prediction for every match, and I will try and remind everyone to put their predictions in ahead of each game.

I've also set up a Serie A Fantasy Football team on the following website - www.fantasyseriea.com - feel free to join the league I have created as well, details are -

League Name : Lega Granata
League Code : M13ZuqO0

Good Luck

Torino sign Alessio Cerci

With just three days before the start of the Serie A season, Torino have further strengthened their squad by completing the signing of Fiorentina winger Alessio Cerci on a co-ownership basis

Cerci arrives at Torino after a difficult two year spell at Fiorentina, where he impressed and infuriated the Viola fans in equal measure. That being said, the former Roma winger is undoubtedly a talented player on his day, as emphasised by his tally of twelve goals in 46 games during his time at Fiorentina, as well as the fact that Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is apparently an admirer.

Torino have paid a reported €2.5m to sign Cerci on a co-ownership deal, and the player now reunites with  Giampiero Ventura, who was his coach at Pisa in the 2007-2008 season. It is hoped that being reunited with his former coach, who has also been described as a 'mentor' to the player could lead to Cerci becoming a more consistent performer.

Welcome to Torino Alessio!

Torino V Lecce Preview

Torino will play their first competitive fixture of the 2012-13 season as they face Lecce in the Coppa Italia this evening.

This game will give a number of summer acquisitions an opportunity to make their Torino debuts, and players such as Matteo Brighi, Alessandro Gazzi, Mario Santana and Gianluca Sansone are expected to feature. After impressing in pre-season, strikers Rolando Bianchi and Riccardo Meggiorini should start the game, and it will give both players an opportunity to impress ahead of Torino's first league game against Siena next Sunday.

Opponents Lecce have had a hectic start to the season, after being relegated to the Lega Pro Prima Divisione as punishment for their role in the Italian match-fixing scandal of last season. Therefore, this cup game should provide a welcome distraction for a side that has dropped down two divisions in just twelve months.

Prediction
Torino 2-0 Lecce

Torino to begin season on -1

Torino will begin the 2012/13 Serie A season with a one point deduction for their role in the betting scandal (Calcio Scommese) that has rocked Italian football in recent months.

Whilst it has been difficult to find out information about why exactly Torino have been given this deduction, it appears their involvement seems to centre around former player Alessandro Pellicori, who looks to have participated in this scandal.

Therefore, on Wednesday afternoon the FIGC accepted a plea bargain from Torino - a one point deduction and €30,000 fine, and whilst this does not count as an admission of guilt, it is likely that the Torino hierarchy accepted this punishment so as not to risk a larger points penalty if it had gone to trial.

It is obviously not ideal for Torino to begin their return to Serie A with a minus points total, but this deduction can easily be wiped out in the first match day, so fingers crossed that will be the case. Two other Serie A teams have also received points penalties, Atalanta (-2) and Siena (-6), so Torino will not begin the season at the bottom of the table.

Serie A 2012/13 Fixtures Released

Torino will begin the Serie A 2012/13 season with an away fixture at Siena on the 25/26th August, and Giampiero Ventura will be hoping his side can get off to a good start in their return to the top flight.
 
The Granata's first home game will be against fellow newly-promoted side Pescara two weeks later, and therefore Toro will have an early opportunity to gain revenge on the team that beat them to the Serie B title last season.

The one fixture that will stand out above all others for Torino fans is the derby against Juventus, and the first 'Derby della Mole' will take place in Week 15 (December 2nd) at the Juventus Stadium. The return fixture at the Stadio Olimpico will take place at the end of April, and being so close to the end of the season, that derby could have even more importance attached to it.

Torino will end the campaign at home to Catania on May 19th, and should Toro need a result on the last day in order to avoid relegation, that fixture is certainly a preferable one.

You can find a full list of the Serie A 2012/13 fixtures here

Forza Torino

Torino 1-0 Lumezzane

Torino progressed to the third round of the Coppa Italia with a narrow 1-0 victory against Lega Pro side Lumezzane at the Stadio Olimpico.

With the Serie B season just a fortnight away, this cup game was a further opportunity for Torino to improve their fitness, and Giampiero Ventura played a strong side, with both Angelo Ogbonna and Rolando Bianchi in the starting eleven.

As one may expect, Torino started the brighter against their lower league opposition, with new signing Stefano Guberti a constant threat down the left wing. It was Guberti who had the first opportunity of the game, but his curling right footed shot was blocked by a Lumezzane defender. Torino's best chance of the first half fell to captain Rolando Bianchi, who continues to be linked with a move away from the club, before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

After a great through ball by Manuel Iori, Bianchi  found himself one on one with the Lumezzane goalkeeper, but his shot was well saved by Francesco Rossi. Incredibly, on the stroke of half time, the Lega Pro side almost took the lead, with Roberto Inglese's speculative 25 yard shot hitting the post.

Torino took the lead just past the hour mark, when Matteo Darmian's perfect cross found substitute Mirco Antenucci, whose powerful header gave the goalkeeper no chance. Antenucci was substituted moments after scoring due to an injury, but his winning goal will certainly strengthen his case for a starting place in the next round.

Toro had an opportunity to extend their lead when the impressive Alen Stevanovic found substitute Giulio Ebagua, whose 20 yard shot whistled past the post. In the closing stages, Lumezzane hit the woodwork again, this time it was Fausto Ferrari who hit the bar from an acute angle, but Torino held on, and will face Siena in the next round.