Serie A Preview: Torino vs Juventus – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction

Stadio Olimpico di Torino sets the stage for the 160th Serie A edition of the famous Derby della Mole between Torino and Juventus. History firmly backs the traveling side for success, even though Thiago Motta’s men are not in the best mood going into this fixture.

Torino’s long-standing struggles against Juventus have seen them pick up just one win in their last 39 meetings across all competitions (D9, L29). That humiliating run stretches nearly 30 years, highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting Paolo Vanoli’s side on Saturday.

Vanoli’s popularity among the Torino faithful has diminished in light of recent results. Indeed, a scoreless draw against Parma last Sunday condemned his team to a fifth consecutive winless home outing in Serie A (D2, L3).

Furthermore, it was their third consecutive scoring blank on this ground. That must be music to Juventus’ ears as they bid to bounce back from a gut-wrenching Supercoppa Italiana semi-final exit in Riyadh. Indeed, Motta’s charges fell short of a record-breaking 10th Super Cup title.

Despite taking a halftime lead against bitter rivals Milan, an unfathomable downfall after the break resulted in a 2-1 defeat. Juventus gave away a penalty, subsequently converted by Christian Pulisic, before Federico Gatti’s unfortunate own goal sealed their fate.

Back to Serie A, Juventus can ill afford a slip-up in the latest iteration of this historic rivalry if they’re to preserve their slim hopes of clinching their first Scudetto in five years.

Match Preview

Torino

Duvan Zapata’s long-term injury has inflicted irreparable damage on Torino’s attacking potential. That’s perhaps best illustrated by their abysmal run of four scoring blanks from their last five home league matches.

Given Torino’s well-documented problems with efficiency in the final third, it’s barely surprising that they’ve only won once at home since the start of September (D3, L5). As if that’s not troubling enough, only Empoli (3) have netted fewer home goals than Granata’s six this term.

Juventus’s impending visit spells further trouble as Torino haven’t found the net in the last three Derby della Mole installments, including a 2-0 defeat in November’s reverse fixture (D1, L2). Moreover, they’ve not scored in six of their previous seven meetings on home turf.

Therefore, low scoring has been a common theme in this match-up, with 11 of the last 15 encounters between Torino and Juventus featuring under 2.5 goals.

Juventus

Motta wouldn’t mind another uneventful contest, provided it yields an all-important three points. Despite entering this round as the only team yet to lose a Serie A game this season, Juventus have proved terminally unable to turn draws into victories.

Andrea Sottil’s late equalizer inspired Fiorentina to a dramatic 2-2 stalemate at the Allianz Arena at the tail-end of 2025, marking Juventus’ 11th draw in 18 top-flight matches this season! Such a high volume of evenly-tied affairs has significantly derailed Juve’s title ambitions.

Indeed, they commenced this matchday 12 points adrift of pacesetters Napoli, albeit with a game in hand. Needless to say, the margin for error is thin as Juventus bid to defy an underwhelming run of five draws from their last six league fixtures.

Ominously, Juventus have shared the spoils in five of their last seven competitive outings on the road (W2), including four in a row before squeaking past Monza 2-1 on their most recent Serie A travel.

Team News

In addition to Zapata, Torino will be without long-term absentees Zanos Savva and Perr Schuurs. Che Adams is the front-runner to replace the Colombian striker in the final third, with Nikola Vlasic and Yann Karamoh likely to be his support.

On the other hand, Juventus still can’t count on Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Francisco Conceicao. Manuel Locatelli serves a one-game ban for accumulated yellow cards. However, Dusan Vlahovic’s minor muscular problem could be an issue.

Torino vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

Torino (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Maripan, Coco; Lazaro, Ricci, Linetty, Sosa; Vlasic, Karamoh; Adams.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Yildiz, Gonzalez, Mbangula; Vlahovic.

Torino vs Juventus Prediction

After Lazio’s home draw against Como last night, Juventus can reduce the gap on a coveted fourth spot to a point with a win. Torino’s wastefulness in front of goal could make the difference, as we back Motta to inspire his side to a season double over a lowly Granata.

Prediction: Juventus to Win

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