Our prediction for this Serie A match:
There will be fireworks when Torino and Juventus face each other in the Turin derby on Saturday. Il Toro showed character in a 1-1 draw with Empoli, with Serbia midfielder Sasa Lukic scoring the winner in the 90th minute, but the bookies see them as underdogs in the local derby. Head coach Ivan Juric should have a full squad to choose from for the Juve clash.
The Bianconeri, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Milan where they failed to create a descent opportunity to score. Max Allegri’s team struggle in the middle of the park, and seeing that Torino are tough to beat at home, we do not believe that the visitors are capable of collecting more than one point from Saturday’s showdown. Angel Di Maria returns from suspension, while all Marley Ake, Mattia de Sciglio, Paul Pogba, and Kaio Jorge are out of contention through injuries.
Highlighted Player (Etrit Berisha):
Etrit Berisha is an Albanian goalkeeper born on 10 March 1989 in Prishtina, and he has become an important player for the Albania national team over the years. After starting his youth career in his native country, Berisha joined Swedish side as a youngster and he quickly managed to prove his worth on senior level, making 90 league appearances and even scoring 3 goals from the penalty spot.
The impressive displays in Swedish Allsvenskan earned him a lucrative move to Lazio in the summer of 2013, and he has since been vying with Federico Marchetti for a starting berth at Stadio Olimpico, making almost 40 league appearances during the first three years at the club. Berisha has also performed well for the Biancocelesti in Coppa Italia and Europa League, while helping Albania qualify for their first ever European Championship finals.
The talented goalkeeper spent every minute on the pitch during team’s successful qualifying campaign, making sure his name will be written in the Albania national team history books.
Highlighted Team (Juventus):
Juventus are considered one of the greatest European football clubs. The Bianconeri (The White and Blacks) have won two Champions League trophies (1985, 1996) and they did well to clinch three UEFA Cup titles (1977, 1990, 1993). The Italian giants have won 32 Serie A trophies and it is well known that a number of star players were part of Juve in the past.
The likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Lilian Thuram, Filippo Inzaghi, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet all played for Juventus, whilst legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has yet to retire. Juve were stripped two domestic trophies during the “Calciopoli” scandal, but despite being relegated to Serie B, the club quickly brought glory days back to Turin. The Bianconeri used to play their home games at Stadio delle Alpi, but nowadays they welcome their rivals at Juventus Stadium.
The capacity of the stadium is 41,475. La Vechhia Signora (The Old Lady) is yet another nickname of the club. Juve’s biggest rivals are Torino and the two local rivals take on each other in the Turin derby.