Juventus vs Torino preview: How to watch on the Derby della Mole on TV, live stream, team news & prediction

The latest instalment of the one-sided Derby della Mole takes place on Friday night as Juventus welcome crosstown rivals Torino to the Allianz.

A stoppage-time header from Danilo salvaged a point for the Bianconeri last time out as they kept their noses in front of Atalanta in the Serie A top-four race, while talk of a late Scudetto assault quietened down.

Now, a local derby awaits Massimiliano Allegri’s side against a Torino outfit that head into the contest off the back of consecutive defeats in Serie A. Nevertheless, former Hellas Verona miracle-worker Ivan Juric has returned the Toro to a highly competitive level and they’ve highlighted their credentials against some of calcio’s finest this season.

However, recent defeats to Udinese and Venezia has dented their European aspirations. They currently sit tenth in Serie A, ten points adrift of Lazio in the final European spot.

On Friday, Torino will be vying for their first victory over their Derby della Mole rivals in seven years. In the reverse fixture, Juric’s side played the Bianconeri tough but a late Manuel Locatelli strike secured a 1-0 victory for Juventus.

Juventus vs Torino preview

A battle of wits is expected to ensue between Allegri and Juric on Friday night and here’s our preview of the contest.

How to Watch Juventus vs Torino

When is kick-off? Friday 18 February

What time is kick-off? 19:45 (BST)

Where is it played? Allianz Stadium

TV channel/live stream? BT Sport 2 (UK), Paramount+ (US)

Juventus Team News

There are no fresh injury concerns for Allegri with Giorgio Chiellini and Federico Chiesa sidelined. Federico Bernardeschi returned to training ahead of the Atalanta draw but he didn’t make the matchday squad. He’s expected to on this occasion and occupy the substitutes bench.

Denis Zakaria is in contention to return to the starting XI for Friday’s derby while Moise Kean could replace Alvaro Morata in Juve’s front three. Both Dusan Vlahovic and Paulo Dybala should keep their places in the XI.

Sunday night’s hero Danilo misses out due to suspension.

Torino Team News

Rolando Mandragora and Sasa Lukic both return to the fold for the visitors after serving their one-game suspensions in last weekend’s defeat to Venezia.

January arrivals Samuele Ricci and Pietro Pellegri are both vying for their first starts, while Mohamed Fares is out injured.

Despite the recent return of Andrea Belotti, Antonio Sanabria should lead the line with top goalscorer Josip Brekalo and Juventus loanee Marko Pjaca expected to play off the Paraguayan in Juric’s 3-4-2-1.

Juventus vs Torino Predicted Lineups

Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Arthur, Locatelli, Zakaria; Dybala, Vlahovic, Kean.

Torino: Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Lukic, Pobega, Vojvoda; Pjaca, Brekalo; Sanabria.

Juventus’ Recent Form

Atalanta 1-1 Juventus (13/02) – Serie A

Juventus 2-1 Sassuolo (10/02) – Coppa Italia

Juventus 2-0 Hellas Verona (06/02) – Serie A

AC Milan 0-0 Juventus (23/01) – Serie A

Juventus 4-1 Sampdoria (18/01) – Coppa Italia

Torino’s Recent Form

Torino 1-2 Venezia (12/02) – Serie A

Udinese 2-0 Torino (06/02) – Serie A

Torino 1-1 Sassuolo (23/01) – Serie A

Sampdoria 1-2 Torino (15/01) – Serie A

Torino 4-0 Fiorentina (10/01) – Serie A

Prediction

For the third Serie A contest on the spin, Juventus take on a proficient pressing side that relies on their heavy man-orientation out of possession in a bid to control and dominate contests.

According to The Analyst, Torino are the most relentless pressers in the division (they boast the lowest passes per defensive action). Although, they aren’t necessarily the most effective pressing unit. For example, Juventus have accumulated more high turnovers (202) than their crosstown rivals (202) as well as high turnovers that have led to a shot (36 to 33).

Promisingly, the Bianconeri have demonstrated their own pressing efficacy as of late. Their ability to sustain pressure off the ball will be key in ensuring they prevail on Friday night and Allegri should retain the 4-3-3 that’ll allow Juve to match Torino in the build-up phase.

There’s no doubting that this derby will be tough for the Bianconeri. This is the best coached Toro outfit in years and Juric will be desperate to pull off the upset after succumbing to back-to-back defeats.

However, the promising signs out of Juve since the end of the January transfer window are too distinct to ignore and I think they’ll snatch a hard-fought win here.

Prediction: Juventus 2-1 Torino