There is a great deal at stake in the Derby della Mole, but Torino Coach Giampiero Ventura hopes it “can be a festival of sport” against Juventus” data-scaytid=”3″>Juventus.
There is a great deal at stake in the Derby della Mole, but Torino Coach Giampiero Ventura hopes it “can be a festival of sport” against Juventus.
The local rivals go head-to-head at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Aside from the rivalry, I hope it can be a festival of sport. We are setting the image for the city,” said Ventura.
“After all, last season Juve won the Scudetto and we were promoted back into Serie A, so it was a positive year all round for Turin. This season they have practically won the title again and we still need to secure safety.
“It is certainly a derby that means a lot to both teams and their fans. There is a 40-point gap between us, but the favourites do not always win. If we played 10 times then Juve would win nine of them, but seeing as it’s just a one-off 90 minutes then anything can happen and we’ll play open football.
“We are inferior to Juve in certain respects, but not in terms of hunger, grit and concentration. Today our season would’ve been far better if we had not dropped so many points in the final 10 minutes of the last five rounds. Instead, we are still here fighting for safety.
“Many of our players are facing Juventus for the first or second time. This morning the fans flocked to the training ground to give them a taste of what a derby is like in Turin. Everyone was united by a single passion.”
Torino squad for Juventus: Bakic, Barreto, Basha, Bianchi, Birsa, Brighi, Caceres, Cerci, Coppola, D’Ambrosio, Di Cesare, Gazzi, Gillet, Glik, Jonathas, Masiello, Meggiorini, Menga, Ogbonna, Rodriguez, Santana