Serie A: Juventus Seeking Dominance in Turin Derby Anew

Juventus vs Torino

Juventus plan to maintain their unbeaten Serie A run in 2022 when they’ll host city rivals Torino this weekend at the Juventus Stadium.

Since their winter makeover, I Bianconeri have made a considerable rise to the Italian top-flight standings as they now sit at fourth place with 46 points.

Three points are up for grabs and this is a winnable match for Max Allegri’s side. Should they come out victorious on Friday night, it’ll surely help their cause in fortifying their Champions League bid especially with the likes of Atalanta and Lazio lurking.

Torino may be on a slump lately with two straight league losses, but Juventus must have their guard up especially given how their reverse fixture went few months ago.

As we look forward to another chapter of the historic Derby della Mole, allow SBOTOP to give you a preview on what’s ahead.

Talking Points

Juventus’ upgrades paying dividends

The arrivals of Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria couldn’t have come at a better time for Juventus as they’ve already made their entries in the Serie A 2022 highlights. The two have scored in their 2-0 win over Hellas Verona earlier this month, and both were impactful against Atalanta and Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia quarter-final.

Vlahovic and Zakaria definitely make Juve an even more dangerous side. Vlahovic’s gravity will benefit his strike partners in Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala, and they’ll be more prolific in the final third as soon as Federico Chiesa is healed from his torn ACL.

Meanwhile, Zakaria is another physical presence in the middle alongside Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie.

But while their attack and midfield get all the headlines, it’s their defence that will make the difference for them. And fortunately, they have strong options at the back with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo, Alex Sandro, and Giorgio Chiellini.

After drawing against Atalanta, a win on Friday will give Juventus momentum with Villarreal  next on the menu in the Champions League. And there’s an argument to be made that I Bianconeri are the dark horses for the said European showcase.

Torino are powerless without their star striker

Torino are lifeless on the attack lately and the return of Andrea Belotti couldn’t come soon enough.

The 28-year-old suffered a serious hamstring tear which sidelined him for 10 weeks, and before that, he had already been forced to sit out from September to October due to a sprained ankle.

Josip Brekalo and Antonio Sanabria have been trying to hold it down for Torino, but their 11 goals and two assists aren’t enough to scare the opposition.

So seeing Belotti back in training is great news for Torino and the team is hopeful that he’ll be fully fit to play this weekend. Assuming he continues to progress well, there’s also a chance that Belotti will get called up again for the Italian national team.

History

The Derby della Mole has been lopsided in favour of this weekend’s hosts. Prior to this match, Torino have only won once in their last 31 encounters – with the said win dating back to April 2015 where Matteo Darmian and Fabio Quagliarella led the way for a 2-1 victory.

Juventus have scored in each of their last 21 Serie A encounters against Torino – which is their longest active run against any opponent. The last time that they were held scoreless was in February 2008 where they were still handled by Claudio Ranieri.

The Turin Derby is the first-ever derby of Italian football and the oldest ongoing meeting between two sides based in the same Italian city. Their first derby meeting happened in January 1907 where Torino notched a 2-1 victory.

In their last meeting that took place in October, Juventus came away with a 1-0 win thanks to Manuel Locatelli’s goal at the 86^th-minute.

Betting Tip

	Juventus vs Torino	Juventus Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.12
	February 19, 03:45 (GMT+8)

The Serie A 2022 odds are backing Juventus as the favourites. I Bianconeri are installed at 1.62 to win, while Il Toro are priced at 5.40 and chances for a draw are at 3.70 in the 1X2 market.

I Bianconeri’s derby dominance in recent years is not to be overlooked, which is why we’re confident about their chances to take all three points from this contest.

Andrea Belotti’s impending return should give Il Toro a big boost and would somehow lessen Juventus’ advantage, but that won’t be enough against a stacked Juventus group – who is slowly peaking at the right time following a lacklustre start to their 2021/22 campaign.

 

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