Juventus vs. Torino – Ronaldo Ready for Local Derby

Juventus will aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the Serie A season when they host local rivals Torino in a big derby on Saturday.

The Bianconeri beat Torino home and away last season en route to winning a ninth consecutive Scudetto title.

They are bidding to make it 10 in a row this season, but they already trail in-form AC Milan by six points.

Juventus may be unbeaten, but they have drawn five out of nine games so far, so they need to rediscover a killer instinct.

Morata Suspended

This is a time of upheaval for the Old Lady of Italian football. Maurizio Sarri was sacked after just one season in the summer, and club legend Andrea Pirlo was parachuted in as his replacement.

Juventus had lost the defensive solidity they enjoyed under Massimiliano Allegri, but the football under Sarri was also turgid, so the board decided to make a change.

Pirlo is tasked with concurrently toughening up the defence and instilling a more attractive, expansive brand of football.

The results have been mixed, but Juventus remain in contention for a 10th straight Serie A title, despite slumping to an underwhelming 1-1 draw against newly promoted Benevento last weekend.

Alvaro Morata was sent off in that game, so Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala should start up front on Saturday.

Torino Struggle Defensively

Ronaldo has already banged in eight goals in Serie A this season. He scored the 750th goal of his career in Juventus’ 3-0 win against Dynamo Kiev in midweek, and he should be fired up for Saturday’s match.

He scored a sumptuous free-kick when Juventus beat Torino 4-1 at home last season.

Torino have made a poor start to the current campaign. They have just one win, three draws and six defeats from nine games so far.

That has left them languishing in the relegation zone. They score a lot of goals, but they have the worst defensive record in Serie A, and that does not bode well for a big game against a team blessed with arguably the best forward in world football.

Tip: Juventus -1.25 Asian handicap

Stake: One unit