Torino take on Juventus in this season's first derby Della Mole at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. Juventus have had an excellent season so far and are top of Serie A, four points clear of second place team Roma. Torino, who have had a shaky start to the season, have improved as the season progressed, losing just one game in their last five matches.
Juventus will be looking to continue their impressive run when they face Torino but they know it won't be as easy as it has been for them in the past. Juventus will have a tough time in defense this match, given that they will be without key defenders Leonardo Bonucci, Dani Alves and Andrea Barzagli. Juventus have managed to keep just two clean sheets this season, so that will be a major concern for Juventus considering Torino have some of the best attacking players in the league. Their manager Massimiliano Allegri believes that this match will not be a cake walk.
"It will be a very difficult game, as Torino are among the top scorers in Serie A and have great forwards like Iago Falque, Adem Ljajic and Andrea Belotti. The derby is a special occasion. I think actually having a midweek game was helpful because we couldn't get too wrapped up in thinking about the derby. It's a very keenly-felt derby and beating Toro is always difficult, as we've seen over my two years at Juve. It will be even more hard-fought, but I repeat Toro are much more technically-gifted than past Torino teams. They don't resemble the old-fashioned Granata stereotype, which is what makes this a much more dangerous match for Juve" Goal.com quoted the Juventus boss as saying.
Torino will go into this match with a lot of confidence because they managed to beat Juventus in this fixture last year. This was the first time Torino managed to defeat Juventus in this fixture so this will be a major boost for them. Torino, who currently sit 7th in the Serie A table, will be hoping to close the gap on the top four. A key player for them will be in form striker Andrea Belotti who has scored 10 goals this season. Because of his performances this season a lot of top European clubs including Manchester United have made him a top transfer target.
Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic feels his side can actually come out of this fixture with a win.
"Tomorrow Juventus will not just be up against 11 players, but against our history, the Toro population and all those who work with us, they must sweat every last drop to get the better of us. I don't know how the derby will end, but I do know we'll leave the pitch with our heads held high, having played in the Toro style by giving everything we've got. We must put in a great performance, but so must Juve. It's no coincidence we've got the third most prolific strike force in Serie A. Juve need to worry about us too because we've got quality" the Torino boss was quoted as saying.
Where to watch live
Torino vs Juventus is scheduled to kick off at 2 pm local time (7.30 pm IST, 9 am EST, and 2 pm GMT)
INDIA: TV: Sony ESPN
UK: TV: BT Sport 2. Live streaming: BT Sport Live
USA: TV: Bein Sports, RAI International. Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect
ITALY: TV: Sky Calcio 1, PremiumSport HD. Live streaming: Sky Go Italia
