Juventus visit city rivals Torino in Serie A on Saturday, with Thiago Motta’s fifth-placed side determined to break their season-long draw frustration.
Heading into the 183rd Turin Derby, Juve appear to have had a strong season on paper, remaining unbeaten in their opening 18 league games for only the third time. However, it is currently 12 points behind leader Napoli.
The reason for this is the alarming number of draws, with Juventus sharing the spoils 11 times this season.
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Among Motta’s pre-match concerns is the injury suffered by Francisco Conceicao in the warm-up ahead of Friday’s Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against AC Milan in Saudi Arabia.
Italian media also reported an argument with veteran defender Danilo, who is said to be out of Motta’s future plans and trying to leave the club.
With Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal also injured, Juve may explore the transfer market for defensive reinforcements, although it is highly unlikely that anything will happen before the derby.
In a round where none of the top eight teams face each other, an upset could change the trajectory of the season.
