Torino vs Juventus: 3 key Torino players to play in the Derby della Mole

2. Saša Lukić

As his name suggests, he is a Serb. Not only is he Serb, but the 25-year-old midfielder also graduated from Serbia’s most renowned academy, FK Partizan. Joining the club as a trainee in 2009, Lukić signed his first professional contract with Partizan in 2013 and straightaway left the club for a loan spell at FK Teleoptik. Torino secured the services of the Serbian in 2016 when Lukić was 20 years of age.

Thanks to a season-long loan spell with Levante in Spain, the ongoing 2021/22 campaign is Lukić’s fifth season for Il Toro. Now matured and much more aware of the league in Italy, Saša Lukić has made an impressive start to the season, logging one goal and assist so far from six appearances in Serie A, per FBref. As such, he is one of the most productive outlets out there for Torino.

Playing in an advanced midfield position, Lukić frequently makes those defence-penetrating runs and often plays the role of a “mezzala”, much like SS Lazio’s Sergej Milinković-Savić. His forward runs caught the eyes in the face-off against Salernitana, where Lukić’s goal in the last moment of the match following a cunning run from the Serb helped Torino register a 4-0 win over the newbies of Serie A.

A player like Saša Lukić needs space to thrive and utilise his attributes to their full extent. By stopping Lukić, Juventus could demolish a good share of Torino’s attacking approach. It all depends on how the Juve midfield fares after playing an exhausting game against Chelsea a few days ago. Should there be gaps, Lukić will surely exploit those.