Juventus, which has been lurching from one catastrophe to another this season, returns home from a humiliating defeat in Europe to take on Torino in the derby on Saturday.
The most recent Turin derby, which was first played in 1907, pits teams that are only separated by two points and two places in the Serie A standings, and Juve’s current situation gives Il Toro a chance to pass them.
Juventus players were sent to a training retreat, or “ritiro,” ahead of this week’s derby after the Old Lady was humiliated by Champions League underdogs Maccabi Haifa, a sign of discontent at any Serie A club.
Juve’s 2-0 loss at Sammy Ofer Stadium heaped additional scorn on struggling coach Max Allegri. The Israeli team impressed despite losing in Turin just a week earlier, but had hardly even scored any goals or registered any points in the majority of their previous matches at Europe’s top level.
Juventus has now dropped five of their last eight games across all competitions and is in a precarious position in Group H, five points behind Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain.
The situation for the disgraced giants is not much better at home; after nine rounds of the Serie A season, they were eighth and 10 points behind unrelenting leaders Napoli. That is the team’s worst performance at this point in seven years, though back then they went on a 15-game winning streak that began with a victory over Torino.
The odds of the Bianconeri repeating this feat are extremely slim given their current situation, and they travel to Stadio Olimpico Grande having lost their last six away games in the Italian top division.
However, they have won 23 of their last 32 league matches against their city rivals, losing just one, and they haven’t lost to Il Toro since 2015.
Torino’s most recent Derby della Mole ended in a 1-1 draw, but their last Serie A clean sheet against Juventus came back in 2008, and in the 22 games since then, they have given up 40 goals.
Ivan Juric’s current team was disappointed to see their run without a win extend to four league games last weekend after they were held by struggling Empoli. This team had previously been defeated by a merciless Napoli team that had swept all before them this season.
In fact, the Granata owe Sasa Lukic a debt of gratitude after he saved their skins and at least added one point to their Serie A tally, which now stands at 11 from nine games and is only two points behind Juve. The Granata were trailing to Mattia Destro’s spectacular goal in the final minute of regulation.
Torino, on the other hand, has now won just twice in their last 12 home games and has also failed to score in five of their last eight.
Because of this, they are still in the top half of the standings by just one point, and despite their excellent build-up play, a promising start to the 2022–23 season is being derailed by a lack of proficiency in the penalty area.
The pressure will be on Juric’s team to triumph over struggling opponents on Saturday, but overcoming the psychological barrier that so obviously stands over the Derby di Torino may prove to be the toughest test of all. After taking on Citadella in the Coppa Italia next week, Juric’s team will face surprise package Udinese and champions Milan.
After being suspended by the Serie A and missing matches against Bologna and Milan, Juventus welcomed back Angel Di Maria in the middle of the week. However, the Argentina international was forced to leave the game against Haifa due to a hamstring injury, which will keep him out until November.
He will therefore return in time for the World Cup, as should long-term absentee Paul Pogba. However, the French midfielder is out again this week, along with Federico Chiesa, who is almost ready to make a comeback from a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained in January.
Due to a thigh injury, Mattia De Sciglio will also be unable to play in the derby, so Alex Sandro may start at left back or, if Max Allegri chooses to use a 3-5-2 formation, Filip Kostic may be used as a wing-back. In such a move, Dusan Vlahovic, who has only scored once against Torino in eight previous games, would start alongside Arkadiusz Milik in the starting XI.
The hosts, meanwhile, have received a clean bill of health and may even start with the same lineup that drew Empoli the previous time around. However, due to Mergim Vojvoda’s regaining of fitness, Ola Aina and Valentino Lazaro now face competition on either flank.
The Paraguayan striker has now gone nearly nine months without scoring at home after becoming the first Torino player to do so against Juventus since 2000 last season.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Schuurs, Rodriguez; Aina, Lukic, Linetty, Lazaro; Miranchuk, Nicola Vlasic; Sanabria
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Sandro; McKennie, Paredes, Rabiot, Kostic; Milik, Dusan Vlahovic
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