Juventus and Torino approach the Derby della Mole looking to bounce back after some unsatisfactory results as the Bianconeri have dropped several points against the minnows while the Granata have been able to take home just one win so far.
Juventus – Torino
Serie A Round 10
Saturday, 3 December 2020
Kick-off at 18:00 (CET)
Allianz Stadium, Turin
Recent Form – Juventus
The Bianconeri are coming off a draw in Benevento, the fifth one in the first nine rounds. They have remained undefeated, but they have been unable to string together two consecutive wins, as they were held to a tie also against Roma, Crotone, Verona and Lazio. They have had more consistency in Champions League, where they have prevailed in four out five matches, including the most recent one versus Dynamo Kyiv, clinching an early qualification.
They have fared better at home than away, as they have beaten handily both Sampdoria and Cagliari and had troubles only versus the Scaligeri, while the Napoli game was notoriously awarded to them. Their only seasonal loss at the Stadium has come at the hands of Barcelona in late October. They currently sit in fourth position, six points behind the league-leading Milan. They are middle of the pack in terms of scoring, but they are the team that has conceded the least in Serie A (seven goals), even though they have not kept many clean sheets. They are second for possession (58.3%).
Team News and Predicted Lineups – Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo got the day off in Benevento and will return to the lineup in this one. Alvaro Morata was shown a red card after the final whistle last week for protesting too vehemently, therefore Paulo Dybala will get his second straight start and will be looking to snap out of his slump.
Giorgio Chiellini suffered his third thigh injury in the span of 40 days and Merih Demiral picked up a similar issue shortly after returning from a hip problem. Leonardo Bonucci came back in Champions League after some time on the shelf. Alex Sandro is also available after missing the early portion of the campaign with a thigh strain. Danilo and Juan Cuadrado were initially rested midweek, which could be an indication they will be in the initial XI Saturday.
As for the rest of the formation, Aaron Ramsey and Dejan Kulusevski have generally alternated in the hybrid role as winger/no.10 and the same thing has happened for the four central midfielders, where Arthur and Adrien Rabiot are currently considered front-runners to make the XI. Federico Chiesa has separated himself from the competitors on the wings with some recent productive outings. Gianluigi Buffon has missed some time with a calf injury.
Expected Starting XI (4-4-2): Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Danilo; Chiesa, Arthur, Rabiot, Ramsey; Dybala, Ronaldo.
Unavailable: Giorgio Chiellini (thigh injury), Merih Demiral (thigh injury), Alvaro Morata (suspension).
Recent Form – Torino
The Granata have won just once so far, against Genoa in early November, and therefore are in pitiful position in the standings (18th). However, they have looked alive in recent matches, even though they have been marred by black-outs and late-game collapses and in general hindered by shoddy defending.
They are coming off a 2-2 tie with Sampdoria, while in the previous match they threw away a two-nothing lead in San Siro, as Inter mounted a furious four-goal comeback in the second half. They suffered a similar fate against Sassuolo (3-3) and Lazio (3-4), while their display versus Crotone (0-0) was disappointing. They have allowed the most goals in the League (22), while they have hit the net 16 times, only two fewer than their opponents. They are in the bottom half for shots per game (10.2) and possession (47.6%).
Team News and Predicted Lineups – Torino
They are solving a COVID crisis as Sasa Lukic, Amer Gojak and Mergim Vojvoda received a late clearance and were called up despite practicing just once or twice in the week and might be option off the bench.
Andrea Belotti managed to play through some knee soreness in the past match last week and that will be the case in the Derby as well: he is putting together an impressive campaign as he has already found the target seven times. Simone Zaza is slated to be his partner. Simone Verdi picked up another thigh injury and also Nicola Murru and also Vincenzo Millico are sidelined by a similar problem.
After Lukic got infected, Marco Giampaolo has switched from 4-3-1-2 to 3-5-2, enjoying good performances from his wing-backs Cristian Ansaldi and Wilfred Singo. Nicholas N’Koulou, who has been uneven so far, Bremer, Armando Izzo and Ricardo Rodriguez are all in contention for the two spots in the back next to Lyanco.
Expected Starting XI (3-5-2): Sirigu; N’Koulou, Lyanco, Bremer; Singo, Meite, Rincon, Linetty, Ansaldi; Belotti, Zaza.
Unavailable: Samir Ujkani (COVID), Vincenzo Millico (thigh injury), SImone Verdi (thigh injury), Nicola Murru (thigh injury).
Juventus vs Torino – Previous Meetings
The Old Lady has dominated the match-up, both historically and recently. They have beaten the cross-town rivals in eight of the last ten Serie A fixtures and 88 times out of 200 games, with 56 ties and 56 Torino wins. They guests have defeated the Madama just once in the last 30 encounters. However, the Granata have come away a 1-1 draw in two of the past four visits to the Stadium.
Conclusion
Juventus have generally been able to bounce back after underwhelming results and have been had a clear upper-hand over the recent years, however Torino, albeit flawed, will be a more difficult foe that their position in the standings and their results indicate.
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