What: Italian Serie A
Who: Torino vs Juventus
When: Sunday 29th September, 2013, at 11:30 UK Time
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Turin, Italy
Derby Dreams
For Torino, this derby will always be a welcome opportunity to get back into the history books and prevail over city neighbours Juventus. No longer the Italian force they were many decades ago, the Clarets have taken the back seat to the Bianconeri in the race for bragging rights in the city of Turin.
However, that does not mean that Giampiero Ventura’s side will not have victory on their minds, as teams rarely rely on form in games like this one. With an average showing so far in the 2013/14 Serie A season, upsetting Juventus would constitute the perfect vehicle for Torino to jumpstart their campaign in.
Torino’s recent record against Juventus is lamentable: Not since the 1995/96 season have the seven-time Scudetto winners netted a victory over the Old Lady in the Derby della Molle.
Juventus might have won seven of their last eight games against Torino in all competitions, but defender Cesare Bovo believes the Italian champions will find it particularly difficult against their cross-town rivals. “Sunday will not be a game like the others. Juve are strong and they know us, but this Torino side is in form”, declared the former Palermo centre-back.
Eye On The Table
Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Inter earlier this season means that La Vecchia Signora are not leading the Serie A pack, with the team currently sitting in fourth place, two points off leaders Roma.
Coach Antonio Conte knows just how important a win in the derby away from home could be to aid his players in terms of morale, especially with the team tackling Galatasaray a few days later in the Champions League, a competition in which they aim to improve their standing following an opening day draw against FC Copenhagen.
The 2003 Champions League runners-up have not appeared as shiny as they have been in the past two seasons, often having to come from behind in matches this season. Luckily for them, their numbers against Torino are impressive ones, as they have managed to keep clean sheets in the past eight games that pitted them against Ventura’s side, winning seven. Furthermore, Juve are undefeated in 35 of their last 38 games on the road in Serie A, and will most likely prove to be very difficult adversaries for Torino, even with the game taking place at the Stadio Olimpico.
Recent form
Torino:
Torino 2-2 AC Milan (14/09; Serie A)
Bologna 1-2 Torino (22/09; Serie A)
Torino 2-2 Verona (25/09; Serie A)
Juventus:
FC Copenhagen 1-1 Juventus (17/09; Champions League)
Juventus 2-1 Verona (22/09; Serie A)
Chievo 1-2 Juventus (25/09; Serie A)
Key absences
Torino: Marcelo Larrondo; Jean-Francois Gillet; Barreto; Alessandro Gazzi
Juventus: Rubinho; Martin Caceres; Simone Pepe
Players to watch
Torino – Alessio Cerci: The winger is one of his team’s most important men, with five goals in as many games so far this term. However, he will face a tough task against the Juventus back four, which make up arguably the best defence in Italy.
Juventus – Carlos Tevez: The Argentine’s Italian transition is going smoothly with three goals so far in Serie A. Tevez seems to have forged a nice partnership with fellow striker Mirko Vucinic and will want to be on the scoresheet against his side’s rivals.
Match Prediction
Torino have seen their luck fade away against Juventus in recent times. The Bianconeri are the better side at the moment in all fields of play, and against a team of Torino’s calibre, they should not encounter any difficulties in winning this match. The crowd will naturally be hostile towards the visitors, but expect Juventus to come out on top.
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