Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. Torino

/turns on microphone/

“Captain’s log, stardate Dec. 13, 2018. Ronaldo has already understood that there are two matches that we play that are not like the others. The one against Inter and the one vs Torino.”

OK, so maybe Giorgio Chiellini doesn’t address his quotes to Italian press like our good friend Captain James T. Kirk on the Starship Enterprise. (Although you never know seeing as it’s pretty well-documented by this blog that Chiellini is very much a nerd when he’s not wearing bianconero and crushing opposing strikers.) But what he says is pretty much the truth — which is not a surprise because Chiellini definitely is like Juventus’ last captain when it comes to keeping it real.

A little over a week ago we had the first of those domestic rivals lining up against Juventus. Come this weekend, it will be the other half of those heated rivals that Chiellini mentioned that Juve will be playing against at the Stadio Olimpico tonight. All of a week and a half after the Derby d’Italia — a Juventus win, by the way — t’s the first Derby della Mole of the season.

A heated, intra-city rivalry could just be what the doctor ordered for this Juventus side coming off one of its most disappointing results — and performances — of the season midweek against Young Boys in the Champions League group stage finale. You know, a way to snap concentration back into where it should be rather than wherever the hell it was a few days ago in Switzerland as we watched scoring chance after scoring chance to high, wide or off the post. Anywhere other than into the goal, basically.

There is history here — and plenty of it.

Juventus may own the matchup, but it’s not like they just continually kick the ass of Torino every time out. There’s recent history that says these games are close — damn close. There’s Andrea Pirlo’s last-minute winner in an absolute deluge. There’s Juan Cuadrado’s last-minute winner that sent Juventus Stadium into an absolute frenzy.

There’s plenty of wins recently against Torino. But they’re not all simple, they’re not all ones where Juve are up by multiple goals and cruise to the finish line.

This is what Juventus has done the last six times they’ve faced Torino in either Serie A or the Coppa Italia:

Five wins

One draw

That’s good, right?

Based on how the last game Juventus played went, making it six wins in the last seven games they’ve played against their little brother from across town.

MATCH INFO

When: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018

Where: Stadio Olimpico, Turin, Italy

Official kickoff time: 8:30 p.m. local time in Italy and across Europe; 7:30 p.m. in the United Kingdom; 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time; 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time

STARTING LINEUPS

Juventus starting XI (4-3-1-2): Perin; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Emre Can, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala; Ronaldo, Mandzukic

Juventus bench: Szczesny, Pinsoglio, Benatia, Douglas Costa, Kean, Rugani, Bernardeschi, Spinazzola

Torino starting XI (3-5-2): Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Djidji; Aina, Meite, Rincon, Baselli, Ansaldi; Zaza, Belotti

Torino bench: Ichazo, Rosati, Lyanco, Soriano, Lukic, Damascan, Edea, Berenguer, Moretti, Parigini, De Silvestri, Bremer

HOW TO WATCH

Television: RAI Italia America (United States); RAI Italia America, TLN (Canada)

Online/mobile: ESPN+ (United States); DAZN (Canada); Eleven Sports 2 UK (United Kingdom); DAZN (Italy)

Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow along with us live and all the stupid things we say on Twitter. If you haven’t already, join the community on Black & White & Read All Over, and join in the discussion below.