JAKARTA - Turin's classic rivalry heats up again this weekend. Juventus will host their neighbors, Torino, at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday, November 8th local time in a match dubbed the Derby della Mole. This isn't just a city clash—it's a historical clash that dates back to 1929.
Juventus comes into this match with a renewed aura. After eight winless matches in all competitions, the management finally called in Luciano Spalletti to take over. The coach, who led Napoli to the 2022/2023 Serie A title, made an immediate impact: a 2-1 victory over Cremonese last week thanks to goals from Filip Kostic and Andrea Cambiaso.
That victory kept Juventus in the top four, even though their Champions League form remains shaky. Against Sporting Lisbon, Juventus fell behind early on but equalized through Dusan Vlahovic—who looked sharp again. However, the 1-1 draw shows that a big task still awaits Spalletti.
Nevertheless, Juventus remains formidable at home. In their last 31 Serie A matches at the Allianz Stadium, they have lost only once and kept 17 clean sheets. Spalletti will certainly want to maintain that tradition in his first derby with Juve, having also previously experienced the heat of the Roma and Milan derbies.
On the other hand, Torino come with an impossible mission: breaking the curse of a 20-match winless streak against Juventus in Serie A. The Granata's last away win in the Derby della Mole came in 1995—almost three decades ago.
However, Marco Baroni's side are not in bad form. They are unbeaten in their last five Serie A matches and are slowly climbing the table. Unfortunately, their 2-2 draw against Pisa last week was bittersweet as they failed to close out the game after taking the lead.
Torino's main problem this season has been their slow starts. Of the 16 goals they have conceded, 11 have come in the first half. If that happens again in Turin, Juventus will not hesitate to punish them swiftly.
Spalletti will likely stick with a flexible three-man defense with Teun Koopmeiners as the joker in defense, replacing Lloyd Kelly, who remains doubtful. Bremer and Juan Cabal are out due to injury, while Vlahovic still needs to undergo a fitness test to confirm his place in attack.
For Torino, Franco Israel remains a doubt between the sticks and could be replaced by Paleari. Marcus Pedersen has returned to training, while Niels Nkounkou is ready to return. Simeone remains the mainstay, having scored four goals in Serie A this season—six of which have come against Juventus.
Juventus' revival under Spalletti is starting to build momentum. The players' morale is improving, and the Allianz Stadium is once again a fortress. Torino may be unbeaten in their last five matches, but the 30-year curse in the Derby della Mole doesn't seem to be broken this time.
Projected lineups:
Juventus (3-4-2-1):
Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Koopmeiners; Cambiaso, Thuram, Locatelli, Kostic; McKennie, Yildiz; Vlahovic.
Torino (3-5-2):
Paleari; Ismajli, Maripan, Coco; Pedersen, Casadei, Asllani, Vlasic, Nkounkou; Adams, Simeone.
Score prediction: Juventus 2-1 Torino
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