Serie A Preview: It’s Derby Time in Turin

Torino vs Juventus

Most eyes will focus on the Turin derby in Serie A this weekend.

Reigning champions and runaway leaders Juventus make the short trip to Torino as big favourites with both SBOBET followers and Serie A 2018 betting odds.

But, despite the 21-point difference between the sides in the table, you never can tell in a derby, can you?

Talking Points

Sixth versus first certainly has the potential to provide some of the best Serie A 2018 highlights.

Yet the home underdogs will need the full backing of their support to help them along the way – a point acknowledged by II Toro coach Walter Mazzarri on the eve of the contest.

Walter Mazzarri and his men aims to giant kill Serie A leaders Juventus in Derby della Mole — Walter Mazzarri giving commands in the touch line

They have certainly enjoyed a fine start to the season as they sit in sixth spot but know the task now facing them will be their toughest yet.

Mazzarri actually has the luxury of being able to pick from a fully fit squad for this derby, fresh from a fine draw at Milan last time out in what was a gritty encounter.

Danger man Andrea Belotti will likely lead the line and will be looking to add to his tally of five league goals this campaign. Other notable starters could include former Spurs man Iago Falque who has flourished since his move to Turin.

In truth, Andrea Belotti has not been the same since rushing back from injury just over a year ago, and Simone Zaza has not been prolific either, so this weekend would be an ideal time to change that.

Torino will certainly want to avoid being caught cold as they were when they met Napoli earlier this season.

Juventus have been imperious this term, as shown again last weekend by their victory over Inter Milan, and are in a very familiar position at the summit of Serie A.

They have only dropped points once – a 0-0 draw against a struggling Genoa – and they start as firm favourites to maintain their unbeaten league record.

Boss Massimiliano Allegri has some tricky decisions to make with a combination of injuries and suspensions.

Joao Cancelo and one-time Chelsea man Juan Cuadrado are sidelined through injury, joining Andrea Barzagli and Sami Khedira on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended after accumulating a fifth yellow card against Inter last week.

Allegri will have Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, who is adapting seamlessly to life in the Italian top flight: he has scored 10 goals in 15 top-flight appearances to help them establish an eight-point advantage at the summit.

With talent like that, other absentees can be more easily overcome.

History

The Turin derby was first played in 1907 and also proved to be the first ever competitive match for Torino which had been founded little over a month earlier (December 1906).

The fact the rivalry stemmed from the fact that Torino was founded through a merger of Football Club Torinese and a group of Juventus dissidents, led by its major financier, has ensured a rivalry has been in place since the very existence of this fixture.

You have to go back three and a half years – to April 2015 – to the last time Torino beat their city rivals. Even then, it ended a two-decade run without a win in the Derby della Mole.

Last season’s contests were fairly close.

Juve won 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino thanks to Alex Sandro before goals from Douglas Costa and Mario Mandzukic sealed a 2-0 home win.

You won’t be surprised to know Torino, who last got their hands on the Serie A trophy in 1976, have not held the upper hand against the dominant force in Italian football.

Naturally, the two clubs have crossed paths many times, having played each other 156 times.

In a fairly one-sided record, Juventus have nearly won half of their meetings with 74 victories to Torino’s 38 triumphs; Toro have only managed one victory in the last 20 meetings, losing 17 of them.

Betting Tip

	Torino vs Juventus	Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.92
	December 16,2018 03:30 (GMT+8)

It’s hard to bet against the ‘Old Lady’ as such is their ominous form domestically, winning 14 of their 15 games so far.

Torino start as rank outsiders, priced 1X2 @ 6.40 compared to Juve @ 1.60. The draw offers @ 3.55.

Among the bets to look out for in my view are: Double Chance Torino or Draw @ 2.26; Asian Handicap +0.75 Torino @ 2.16 and Asian Handicap -1.00 Juventus @ 2.12.

Perhaps I’m not feeling very daring on derby day!