Torino vs. Juventus: 5 key players to watch in the Derby della Mole

Juventus will face crosstown rivals Torino on the road in the Derby della Mole on Saturday evening, and with Andrea Pirlo on the hot seat, they 100 percent need a win.

Prior to the March international break, the Bianconeri crushed their Scudetto hopes by falling 1-0 to Benevento in what was one of their worst performances of the 2020-2021 campaign. They must bounce back against Torino, who played them very tough earlier this season.

Let’s take a look at five key players to watch on Serie A’s Matchday 29, using Sky Sport Italia’s expected lineups.

Juventus CB Matthijs de Ligt

Leonardo Bonucci will be out after testing positive for COVID-19, so Matthijs de Ligt will start alongside Giorgio Chiellini. While Chiellini remains effective, the reality is that Juve cannot count on him due to his frequent injuries. Therefore, de Ligt’s leadership is still going to be critical in the Derby della Mole.

De Ligt will be going up against a very good striker tandem in Andrea Belotti and Antonio Sanabria, who has been tremendous since joining the Granata. He has two goals and an assist in four appearances. Meanwhile, Belotti is one of Serie A’s best players with 11 goals and 5 assists. De Ligt will need to be at his best this weekend.

Torino CM Rolando Mandragora

Juventus loaned Rolando Mandragora to Torino this winter, and the 23-year-old center midfielder is breaking out with his new club. He has two goals and an assist of his own, with WhoScored.com crediting him with 2.0 fouls drawn per game. Defensively, he is fifth on the team with 1.6 interceptions per game.

Juventini will want to keep a close eye on Mandragora not just because they own his rights, but also because he could be a tough customer for Juve’s midfield to deal with.

Juventus CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Weston McKennie and Arthur Melo likely won’t be called up for breaking COVID-19 rules by having a gathering/dinner/party (whatever you want to call it, at his point I’m done discussing the events). Therefore, Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur are expected to start in midfield against Torino, which could honestly end up being a disaster for the Bianconeri.

But if we see “Good Bentancur” on Saturday evening at the Olimpico di Torino, then Juventus could be in business. Bentancur is not a bad player at all despite his struggles this season in a miscast role, and he could provide the gritty work necessary to pull out a derby win.

Torino ST Andrea Belotti

What kind of a list would this be without Andrea Belotti? He is Torino’s muse with more than triple the goal contributors of the next best player. Belotti, however, has not scored or assisted in nearly two months, with his last goals coming in back-to-back Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 fixtures against Fiorentina and Atalanta, respectively.

Torino will be fighting with everything they have on Saturday, as they are in 17th and just one point ahead of Cagliari in the relegation battle. The Granata can count on Belotti to bring the fight to Juventus.

Juventus ST Alvaro Morata

On the other side of the pitch, Juventus will be counting on a lot from Alvaro Morata. Cristiano Ronaldo is their equivalent of Belotti, as he is easily Juve’s best player and leading scorer. But their player with the most assists in Serie A is Morata, who has eight.

Now I could have went with Juan Cuadrado, who is Juve’s overall assist leader when including the Champions League and was excellent with providing key assists in the come-from-behind win against Torino earlier this season.

Next. Juventus should complete this swap deal with Manchester United. dark

But I already know Cuadrado will be great this weekend. Morata, on the other hand, is harder to predict. I do know that Juventus are so much better when he is at his best vs. when he struggles, such as against Benevento. The Bianconeri need Morata to be a danger to Torino’s defense.

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