Juventus vs. Torino: Full Derby della Mole Preview
The rivalry between Juventus and Torino doesn't get as much press as Inter vs. Milan, but Turin's local derby is older—the oldest in Italy, in fact—and just as intense.
Sunday will mark the 165th league meeting between the two city rivals. The Bianconeri will be flying high after big wins against Lazio and Malmo; Torino will be picking up the pieces after returning from the international break with a 1-0 loss to Sassuolo and a goalless draw against Club Brugge.
Who will have the upper hand in Sunday's clash? Here we'll take a deeper look at the matchup to find out.
Tale of the Tape
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| Juventus | Torino | |
| 1897 | Founded | 1906 |
| I Bianconeri | Nickname | Il Toro |
| Massimiliano Allegri | Coach | Giampiero Ventura |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Captain | Kamil Glik |
| 1 (10-1-1, 31 pts) | Table Position | 15 (3-3-6, 12 pts) |
| 30* (defending champion) | Domestic Titles | 7 (last: 1975-76) |
UCL: 2 (last 1995-96) UEFA Cup: 3 (last 1992-93) | European Titles | 0 (best: UEFA Cup runner-up, 1991-92) |
95 | Head-to-Head Wins** 62 draws | 72 |
WWWWW | Last 5 Matches*** | DLLLD |
*Number of titles officially recognized by FIGC. Juventus still claim the titles that were stripped after the Calciopoli scandal.
**Includes all competitions and friendlies
***All competitions
Juventus Overview
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The Bianconeri have been on a roll since Massimiliano Allegri switched the team from a three-man to a four-man defensive system.
The change came against Olympiacos in the Champions League on November 4. Juve scratched out a 3-2 victory over the Greek champions, then unleashed their new tactics on Parma, who were no match for the champions and were annihilated 7-0.
That form continued after the international break with a 3-0 thrashing of Lazio in Rome. A 2-0 victory in Wednesday's must-win Champions League tie against Malmo capped off a run of excellent form that has seen the team win every game they have played since their last-second loss to Genoa on October 29.
With Roma still only three points behind them, any slip-up can drastically change the title race. A derby match is always a potential place for a slip-up. There is also the potential for a drop in focus following an important victory in Europe. The challenge here will be for the players to keep their focus and avoid the sort of let down that would let their pursuers catch up.
Torino Overview
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It's been a rough season for Torino.
Il Toro had a wonderful year in 2013-14. They were an Alessio Cerci penalty away from sixth place and were allowed to enter European competition when Parma were denied a UEFA license after they failed to pay bills on time.
The summer transfer window hurt them, though. Alessio Cerci and Ciro Immobile—the most prolific strike duo the team had seen since the 1970s—were sold to Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund respectively, and the club wasn't able to adequately replace them.
The result has left the team with a dismal attack. They've scored just seven goals in Serie A this season—second to last in the league—and have only managed four more in the Europa League. They haven't scored in a league game since their 1-0 victory over Parma on October 29 and have only scored more than one goal once in their 12 league games.
The team should get through to the round of 32 in the Europa League, but their scoring struggles have left them 15th in Serie A and in desperate need of a shot in the arm in order to make a run at the top half of the table.
Key Players: Juventus
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Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez is on fire.
A look at his numbers on WhoScored.com will likely leave a reader breathless. Between Serie A and the Champions League, Tevez has scored 12 goals in 16 appearances, notched five assists and is averaging 2.6 key passes per game. That run includes four goals and an assist in his last three contests.
It was clear last year that Tevez is the top-level striker Juve have been hungering for since they started their current run of success in 2011, but his form is turning otherworldly.
In seasons past, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal have been considered the linchpins of the club. But with both having dealt with injuries this season, Tevez has grabbed that mantle by the scruff of the neck.
Torino will be hoping they can keep the Argentine at bay.
Stephan Lichtsteiner
Switzerland international Stephan Lichtsteiner was easily the best player on the field for Juve against Malmo on Wednesday.
Lichtsteiner has looked lively since the transition to a back four. Allowed to play his natural position once again after two-and-a-half years of playing as a wing-back in a 3-5-2, the right-back is getting forward and overlapping well on the wing while providing solid flank defense.
He may have produced the moment of the game against Malmo. A lazy pass by Pirlo had allowed Emil Forsberg to break with only Lichtsteiner between him and Gianluigi Buffon. The Swiss gave ground, containing the midfielder but never committing to a challenge that could have easily led to a disastrous equalizer. He covered nearly two thirds of the field like this before Forsberg finally put his shot well wide.
Lictsteiner is an old-school player who is deeply committed to the team. Put him in front of a brick wall and say "run," and he will charge the thing until he's on the other side. He will likely be matched against talented Torino wing-back Matteo Darmian—a tantalizing matchup that could go a long way to deciding who takes points from the match.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba's stock keeps going up and up.
The 21-year-old Frenchman is now routinely drawing comparisons to the likes of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane. That both French legends played in the black-and-white shirt is an interesting coincidence.
Pogba is edging his way onto the list of best players in the world. His long, awkward-looking frame belies the easy grace he uses to dribble around unfortunate opponents.
That grace is complimented by power; he can be a bone-crunching tackler and his long shot is truly a sight to behold.
A contract extension in hand, Pogba is the player Juve hope to build around for the future. For the present, though, all should fear his impact on the midfield.
Key Players: Torino
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Kamil Glik
Kamil Glik exemplifies the intensity of this rivalry—and not always in a good way.
The Polish international has been sent off in two of the last four Derbies, including a straight red for this horror tackle on Emanuele Giaccherini two years ago.
Given how Juve's attack has been clicking over the past few weeks, Torino can't afford a repeat of that trend. Glik is a key contributor to a defense that is tied for sixth-best in the league this season—and is likely the only player keeping the Granata out of the drop zone.
His partnership with Cesare Bovo and Emiliano Moretti will be key to Torino taking any points out of this game. He has to stay disciplined. As little as an early yellow could dramatically change the way the defense plays.
Fabio Quagliarella
It's easy to imagine a world in which Fabio Quagliarella hadn't injured his knee in the first game back from the 2010-11 winter break. The Italy international had scored nine times for Juve going into the match against Parma, and his injury sent a team that had been in second place two rounds before into a tailspin.
Had he not been hurt, he could easily still be leading Juve's line. Instead, he was relegated to a rotational role as he recovered, never receiving as much playing time as he may have deserved under Antonio Conte. His move to the other side of Turin has once again given him the chance to spearhead a team.
Without him, who knows where Torino would be. He's the only person on the team to have scored more than once in all competitions. He will be the biggest threat to Juve's defense—and may know a trick or two about getting around them, having trained against them for the last four years.
He is a player with drive, skill and the class to go with it. If he does manage a goal, expect him to continue his long-standing policy of declining to celebrate against his former teams.
He will be Torino's best chance to score. Against a Juventus back line in transition, he will likely get at least one chance. He can't be wasteful.
Jean-Francois Gillet
Finally back from a 13-month suspension stemming from former club Bari's involvement in the Calcioscommesse scandal, Gillet has resumed his role as Torino's primary goalkeeper.
His inclusion on this list is obvious. Any team that hopes to beat Juve is going to need a great day from their goalkeeper. The model this season has been Genoa's Mattia Perin, who made a string of impressive saves to keep the game scoreless until the Grifone managed a last-second winner.
If Torino are to earn any points, Gillet must be at the top of his game.
Manager: Juventus
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Massimiliano Allegri started the season carrying over Antonio Conte's 3-5-2. It was a logical decision; the team had used the system en route to three straight titles, and he had had little time to integrate his own ideas into the team.
But it wasn't a system he was familiar with, and it was obvious he didn't know how to get the best out of it. The team's attack stagnated, especially in Europe. Something had to be done.
In a must-win Champions League fixture against Olympiacos, he finally took action, installing a 4-3-1-2. The difference was palpable.
Since the change, Juve have played two league games and two Champions League games and outscored their opponents 15-2. Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba have caught fire. Juve once again look like the titans of the Italian game that they are, not the team that was struggling to put away teams that they should have been crushing.
Allergi's move has likely turned Juve's season around. With Roma still in hot pursuit, a fourth straight title is no given, but Juve look far more likely to defend their crown than they did a month ago.
Manager: Torino
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Giampiero Ventura is one of the most underrated managers in Serie A.
His tactical machinations got the best out of a middling team last year and took Il Toro to their first European place in many years. He has a knack for making slight adjustments that can suddenly bring players to life.
The most visible example of this was with Alessio Cerci, whom he moved inside as a seconda punta after years of being a winger. The move allowed Cerci, who had never realized his potential up to that point, to thrive. According to WhoScored.com, he scored 21 times and notched 11 assists in his two years at the Stadio Olimpico.
Torino's struggles this season have more to do with his forward line being gutted—Cerci and last year's capocannoniere, Ciro Immobile, now play abroad—than a deficiency on Ventura's part. The defense is solid and has only conceded 13 goals in 12 games. Still, it will be on him to figure out a way to generate more goals and rotate the squad well enough to compensate for a potential run in the Europa League knockout rounds in the new year.
Recent Matchups
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Intense as it is, the Derby della Mole has been intensely lopsided for almost 20 years.
The last time Torino won a match against Juventus was on April 9, 1995—a 2-1 victory. Relegations for both sides have seen the derby interrupted since, but in 16 meetings, the Bianconeri have won 12 and drawn four. Torino haven't even scored in this fixture since earning a 2-2 draw in February 2002.
Since Torino's return to Serie A in 2012, Juve have outscored their city rival 7-0 over four games, which were all wins. Last season's contests were close—a pair of lively 1-0 games that also saw a total of 10 bookings.
Key Matchup 1
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Carlos Tevez vs. Kamil Glik
Carlos Tevez has been close unstoppable this season. Every touch he gets produces danger. Even without the ball, his movement has carried defenders with him, opening space for his teammates to produce goals.
Torino's back three will be charged with nullifying the threat of Tevez, and Kamil Glik will be their leader. Glik is a physical presence in Torino's defense, but that physicality doesn't always have the desired effect. He isn't a volume tackler—WhoScored.com clocks him at an average of only one per match—and his efforts often end with a whistle.
He's already been sent off once this season—a straight red against Napoli—and as mentioned earlier in the slideshow, he has received marching orders in two of the four Derbies in which he's played.
Where he does excel is off-ball defending. He's averaging 3.4 interceptions per game in the league and 2.7 in all competitions. If he wins this battle, it will be by denying Tevez the ball altogether.
If he manages to do that, he has a chance to keep Tevez from scoring. If he has to resort to playing him with the ball, however, Juve could win several advantageous free kicks—and might end up with a man advantage.
Key Matchup 2
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Stephan Lichtsteiner vs. Matteo Darmian
Matteo Darmian has become one of Torino's most important players. Able to play on either flank, he was one of the few bright spots for the national team during an otherwise disappointing World Cup.
He has been spending the majority of his time on Torino's left this season, which will pit him against Stephan Lichstiener on Juve's right.
As mentioned before, the move to a four-man defensive line has been a boon to Lichtsteiner, who has finally been able to play his natural position as a true full-back. Will Darmian's advanced position as a wing-back pin the Swiss back in defense or will Lichtsteiner be able to move freely in attack?
If Darmian is successful in bottling Lichsteiner up, Juve's wide play will have to come from the left—a position that is up in the air. Kwadwo Asamoah is still unavailable due to injury and Simone Padoin, who has done a good job filling in at left-back, is suspended after receiving a soft red card against Lazio. Patrice Evra has just about recovered from a muscle injury, but it remains to be seen how fit he is.
With options on the left thin, Lichtsteiner is crucial to ensuring that Juve's attack isn't bottled up in the center of the field.
Key Matchup 3
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Giorgio Chiellini vs. Fabio Quagliarella
Chiellini and Quagliarella have been teammates for the last four years, but they've seen each other on opposite ends of the field during Quags' time at Napoli and Udinese.
Quagliarella has been Torino's only viable offensive threat this season. If he's been neutralized, the rest of the team has been practically impotent.
His former teammate is more than capable of doing just that. A blend of great defensive technique with the hard-nosed physicality of Italian defenders past, the oft-underrated Chiellini is one of the five best center-backs in football.
He has transitioned well from the three-man back line. The anchor of Juve's defense, Chiellini will provide an effective screen in front of Gigi Buffon's goal. He can make life miserable for Torino if he manages to contain his former teammate.
Prediction
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This game has the makings of a lopsided contest.
Juventus have only conceded four goals in Serie A this year. Torino have only scored seven. The Granata are also solid defensively, but their scoring woes are a massive burden.
The long and short of it is that Torino are almost incapable of scoring at the same rate as Juve, especially the way the attack has clicked since Allegri changed formation. Their defense may be able to keep the scoreline respectable, but Juve will be able to overwhelm them in the end.
My prediction for this derby matchup is a 3-0 Juve victory.
