Match Details
Torino v Inter – 29th October 2013 – Kick Off 20:45 (CET) – Stadio Olimpico di Torino – Referee: D.Doveri
The story so far……
Torino: Without a win in their last three Serie A contests and facing difficult games with Inter and Napoli in successive match-days, Torino will be determined not to ruin what has been a largely positive start to the season. Things could have been even better for the men from Turin if they hadn’t suffered a late collapse against Milan last month. Alessio Cerci has been a one man wrecking crew for the Granata this season, he has scored six and assisted on one of Torino’s ten league goals. The start to this campaign must feel like deja vu for coach Giampiero Ventura, his side have made an identical start to that of last season. The noticeable difference however is that the veteran tactician has seen his defence concede double the amount of goals compared with this point one year ago.
Inter: Walter Mazzarri will be keen to see a positive reaction from his side after they were thumped 3-0 by league leading Roma last time out. Until that game the former Napoli boss had been master minding a spectacular start to the season for Inter with the Nerazzurri looking to recover from last years abysmal ninth place finish. Away from Milan, Mazzarri’s men have won two and drawn one whilst conceding just once in the process. With injuries to key performers and an undoubted knock to their confidence, this game could be an indication of what to expect from Inter over the coming months.
Probable formations, Injuries and suspensions.
The Key men
Torino: Alessio Cerci – As mentioned above, Cerci hasn’t just been Torino’s best player this season he has been one of the outstanding performers across the peninsula. His pace and ability to get quality strikes at goal will be a constant threat to the Nerazzurri backline. Torino will be hoping that Cerci will be assisted by Italy U21 striker Ciro Immobile who is on loan from city rivals Juventus. Immobile has struggled for form this season but in the past has shown flashes of brilliance which could make his partnership with Cerci a fruitful one for the Granata.
Inter: Mateo Kovacic – The young Croatian starlet saw his preseason wrecked by a series of niggling injuries. This has resulted in an inconsistent start to the season and he has yet to find a regular place in Mazzarri’s side. With the injury Ricky Alvarez suffered against Roma, Kovacic could be thrust into the limelight as there is speculation he could move further up the pitch to support Rodrigo Palacio in attack. This would be a huge responsibility for Kovacic and it remains to be seen if he can adapt to this drastic change in his role.
Stat Attack: All the below stats are provided courtesy of OPTA the leading data provider for football statistics.
Torino haven’t beaten Inter in Serie A since February 1994, with four draws and 14 defeats in the following 18 meetings.
In this process, Inter have failed to score only once, keeping 12 clean sheets.
The Nerazzurri have won each of their last nine away games vs Torino in Serie A, conceding only two goals.
The Granata have picked up the same points as they managed last season (W2 D3 L2) after the first seven league match-days, but have conceded twice as many goals.
Torino lost at the Olimpico against Juventus after five home games in which they had been unbeaten (W1 D4).
Inter have won four of their last seven Serie A clashes, as many as they had in their previous 18.
The Nerazzurri are unbeaten in their last four league games on the road (W2 D2), conceding only one goal in the process.
Seven of Torino’s 10 conceded goals this season have come from set plays, more then any other team so far.
Alessio Cerci has been involved in seven of 10 Torino’s goals so far, scoring six and assisting once.
Ricardo Álvarez has completed 37 dribbles: more than any other player in Serie A.
Riccardo Meggiorini has scored three times in his five meetings vs Inter: his favourite target in the top-flight.
