Torino vs Inter Milan

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After losing their top spot in the Serie A standings just before the international break, Inter Milan has a chance to regain their position by defeating Torino on Saturday evening. They are playing a day before their main rivals, AC Milan, who currently hold the first position. Inter aims to maintain their impressive away game record, while Torino is eager to break a long streak without scoring.

Despite earning only one point from their last two league games at San Siro, including a 2-2 draw against Bologna in their most recent outing, Inter has been considerably stronger in away matches this season.

Before their upcoming trip to Turin, Inter has won all three of their initial away fixtures in Serie A without conceding a single goal. They've scored seven times without allowing any in return, with Lautaro Martinez contributing five of those goals.

Simone Inzaghi will soon prepare his team for two consecutive home games, facing Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday and Roma next weekend. But first, he's focused on continuing their excellent away form.

Going back to the previous season, Inzaghi's team has won seven of their last eight away games, maintaining clean sheets in seven of those matches. If they secure another shutout on Saturday, it will be the first time since 1972 that Inter keeps their opponents scoreless in five consecutive Serie A away matches.

After letting a two-goal lead slip in their previous game before the international break against Bologna, where Martinez and Francesco Acerbi scored early on but they failed to secure a victory, Inter is determined to perform better upon returning to domestic competition, especially since they are now trailing their city rivals, Milan, in the standings.

Historically, the Nerazzurri have had an impressive record at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, winning seven of their last eight league encounters with Torino and averaging two goals per match during those meetings.

Indeed, Toro has managed to secure just one point from their previous four meetings with Inter in Turin. Their recent performance in Serie A has not been much better. After a series of two draws and two losses, including a defeat in the Derby della Mole against Juventus, Coach Ivan Juric's team has gradually slipped down the league standings, currently sitting in 14th place.

Their goal drought, having not scored in over 270 minutes of play since Duvan Zapata's late equalizer against Roma, is a clear reason why Torino hasn't maintained its promising start to the season. They are hoping that the recent break from competitive matches will help them reset in this regard.

Torino, who have had draws against both Roma and Verona in their most recent home games, can certainly pride themselves on their defensive discipline under Juric. Only three teams have kept more clean sheets this season. However, players like Zapata and Antonio Sanabria need to improve their attacking output.

Under the leadership of Croatian coach Ivan Juric for the past two years, Torino has managed to avoid relegation troubles and regularly secure a place in the top half of the table. Nonetheless, if they aspire to make a surprise push for European competition this year, they must find more ways to score goals.

With Marko Arnautovic sidelined due to injury and Alexis Sanchez playing full 90-minute matches in both of Chile's World Cup qualifiers, it is expected that Inter's captain, Lautaro Martinez, will start for the visiting team in their upcoming match against Torino.

The international break has finally come to an end, and Inter is set to face Torino under Ivan Juric's management in Turin. Inter's last match was a frustrating 2-2 draw with Bologna, making it crucial for Simone Inzaghi's team not to drop points again, especially against weaker opposition. The pressure is on to begin the next phase of the season on a positive note by securing three points.

Torino has been consistently midtable this season, currently sitting in 14th place with 9 points. After narrowly avoiding relegation a few years ago, Juric has done a commendable job stabilizing the team. However, now in his third year with the club, Torino appears to have hit a plateau. Juric's physical, pressing style of play doesn't promote a fluid and creative attack, and this season has seen a particularly poor performance in the final third. They've scored only 6 goals in 8 games, ranking as the sixth-worst in Serie A, and half of those goals came in a single match against Salernitana.

That Salernitana match remains the only one this season in which Torino scored multiple goals, and currently, they're on a three-game goal drought. The departure of Wilfried Singo to Monaco has deprived Torino of some explosiveness, with Nemanja Radonjilc (3 goals) being the only remaining attacker capable of penetrating defensive lines. Duvan Zapata, the big-name signing, has struggled to find his form, with just one goal to his name so far.

On the positive side, Torino's defense continues to be strong, conceding the eighth-fewest goals in the league. Apart from the loss of Singo, the backline remains unchanged from the team that allowed the fifth-fewest goals last season. One noteworthy addition is Raoul Bellanova, who has replaced Singo and become a regular starter. On the opposite wing, Valentino Lazaro, who made a permanent move to Torino last summer, adds depth.

Inter recently lost the top spot in Serie A to AC Milan after a draw with Bologna. Furthermore, Juventus is only one point behind them. Inter has a recurring issue of dropping points against teams like Bologna and Sassuolo, which is reminiscent of previous seasons under Inzaghi's leadership. Continuing to lose points against these teams could ultimately cost Inter the Serie A title. Despite their struggles this season, Torino presents a similar challenge to Bologna and offers Inter a chance to rectify past mistakes.

The hosts are eager to finally defeat the Nerazzurri this weekend, as they've struggled in their previous eight encounters since January 2019. Torino's winless streak in the Turin Derby reached 19 games in their recent match before the international break, suffering a 2-0 loss to local rivals Juventus.

Ivan Juric's team has gone four games in a row without a victory, with two losses and two draws since their 3-0 win over Salernitana in September. Torino currently occupies the 14th spot in the Serie A table with nine points from eight matches, but a win this weekend could potentially see them level with Monza in seventh place.

On the other hand, Inter Milan had a frustrating experience in their previous match, drawing 2-2 with Bologna after surrendering a two-goal lead. Before that, Simone Inzaghi's squad secured their first win in Group D of the Champions League by defeating Benfica 1-0 at the San Siro on October 3. Inter Milan has been in good form, remaining unbeaten in nine of their 10 matches this season, and they currently stand in the second position in the Serie A table, trailing league leaders AC Milan by just two points.

'El Toro' and French forward Marcus Thuram, who has already contributed five assists in Serie A this season, both saw less action for their respective countries and are therefore expected to re-join the front line.

Although Simone Inzaghi has a complete squad to pick from, Juan Cuadrado will not be playing this weekend due to an Achilles flare-up. He ought to select a starting XI that is comparable to the one that tied Bologna.

While Saba Sazonov has recently returned from a foot injury, Torino has other absences to worry about in the form of Brandon Soppy, Kofi Djidji, and Alessandro Buongiorno.

Antonio Sanabria, who led the team in scoring last season, is expected to sit out of the attack this year as Duvan Zapata is relied upon to help Toro snap its goalless streak. But the latter has played 483 minutes against Inter at home in Serie A games without scoring a goal and has only managed one effort on goal.