Serie A champions Juventus go into the Derby della Mole in great spirits having finally made a decisive step towards the Champions League knockout stages, and they are now searching for seventh successive triumph in meetings with Torino. I Granata have been going through a very rough patch of late and they could find it hard to match their more illustrious opponents.

Juventus back on track

While Juventus did really well to open up a three-point lead at the Serie A summit, some under-par results in the Champions League threatened to ruin their season. Despite playing well in away matches against Atletico and Olympiakos, the Bianconeri returned from both travels empty-handed and they were in danger of crashing out in group stage for the second successive season. Nevertheless, Juventus then showed a lot of character to record back to back wins over Olympiakos and Malmo, meaning they need just one point from the final group game to make it through. At the same time, Max Allegri’s charges have been quite impressive on domestic stage, winning three successive fixtures after the shock defeat to Genoa, scoring 12 goals and keeping three clean sheets in the process. This means the hosts go into the derby clash with Torino high on confidence, especially considering they have won last nine of last ten meetings against I Granata, without conceding a single goal in the process. And given the current form of the two sides, everything suggests the unbelievable run is set to continue.

Simone Padoin misses out through suspension, whilst Andrea Barzagli, Luca Marrone, Martin Caceres and Kwadwo Asamoah are injured and Romulo faces a fitness test.

Torino continue to struggle

Torino enjoyed one of the best seasons in club’s recent history last term as the team secured Europa League qualification, albeit only after Parma had been banned from taking part. But, rather than reinforcing the squad over the summer, I Granata saw star players Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile and Jasmin Kurtic leave, while only a couple of quality players joined. It was, therefore, not surprising to see Giampiero Ventura’s side struggle with the busy schedule from the very start of the season, with the lack of strength in depth proving to be a major issue. Torino have now failed to win any of their last five matches (D2 L3), while scoring just one goal in the process, meaning the clash against bogeymen Juventus comes at a very bad time. The hosts will be under additional pressure due to the disappointing record in previous meetings against their arch rivals, so I really don’t see how they are going to get anything from this game. And with five or six first team regulars playing full ninety minutes in Thursday’s clash against Club Brugge, tired legs could prove to be a problem as well.

Several starters will be recalled to the starting line-up, but Migjen Basha, Salvatore Masiello and Antonio Nocerino are out injured are out injured and Ruben Perez is doubtful.

Verdict

Juventus have made a habit of defeating Torino without conceding in recent years and with the Bianconeri on top of their game at the moment, the trend looks likely to continue. I Granata not only face major problems up front, but they struggle with the hectic schedule and they should be happy if they manage to avoid a heavy defeat.

Top pick: Juventus/Juventus   1.83 (5/6) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 1: Juventus with -1.5 AH   1.85 (17/20) @ bet365

Alternative pick 2: Juventus to win to nil   1.91 (10/11) @ SkyBet