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Serie A tip preview: Juventus set for derby delight against Torino

Despite being docked 15 points, Juventus still harbour hopes of a top-four spot, and Tipstrr expert Paul Bathurst believes they can maintain their challenge in Tuesday's local derby against Torino.

Even without their shock 15-point deduction, Juventus would still be 18 points adrift of runaway Serie A leaders, Napoli, but there is no denying that they have responded superbly since that setback.
Now the Old Lady of Turin will target qualification to the Champions League via two routes - winning the Europa League or making up 10 points in the battle for top four domestically.
Claiming all three points from Tuesday's Derby della Mole is the next step for Juve, with opponents Torino hoping to get one over on their city rivals at the Allianz Stadium.

While both sides are neck and neck in standings, with eighth-placed Juventus currently one position ahead of Torino, these two sides are far apart in terms of quality.

A win for the home side here would see the home side leapfrog Bologna into seventh spot, but should Torino pick up a shock result here, then the road back to the Champions League via domestic qualification would surely be too far a stretch for the hosts.
Torino are having a decent season with qualification for next season's European Competition not out of the question, although their target realistically would be the Europa League or UEFA Conference League.

Manager Ivan Juric will be demanding a response from his side following a poor run of results which appear to have been a missed opportunity for the Turin-based outfit.

Just two wins in the last nine matches (against Fiorentina and Udinese) is highly disappointing considering the opponents they faced.
In this run they faced four of the bottom five sides, which also saw draws against Salernitana, Verona and Cremonese, alongside a loss to Spezia.
Just three points from a possible 12 against the weakest sides in Serie A have really stunted the hopes of Torino's quest for Europe.
The Juventus defence has proved a tough nut to crack in recent weeks with all of their last three matches seeing the Bianconeri win without conceding.

Head coach Massimo Allegri has frequently opted to play a 3-5-2 system, usually consisting of an all-Brazilian backline with Alex Sandro, Gleison Bremer and Danilo lining up as the three central defenders. 

Bremer missed the recent 2-0 victory at Spezia due to suspension, but is likely to slot straight back in for this key match against Torino.

Torino are not the most prolific in front of goal, and indeed no team in the top half of Serie A has scored fewer than their 24 goals, while plenty of bottom-half sides have also outscored them.

Antonio Sanabria currently tops the charts as their top scorer with just five goals in 18 appearances, so it is clear that Torino's season is built on defence.

On-loan West Ham midfielder Nikola Vlasic is injured and will miss out here, and with four goals and two assists to his name this season, his absence will leave a void in creativity that Alexis Miranchuk will have to fill.

With plenty on the line for both clubs, Juventus boast a clear quality advantage, in addition to being the home side, which makes a win for Juventus at 8/11 an appealing prospect.
However, with Torino's obvious struggles in front of goal, alongside the stellar defensive record of the hosts, a Juventus Win To Nil becomes an obvious more lucrative play at around 6/4.

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