Torino are ready to host Carpi on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin for a Serie A clash between two squads not currently at their best.
The home side might well be refreshed after ending their winless streak against Palermo in their last match, which saw Giampiero Ventura’s boys win after five matches, with two losses and three draws throughout the last half of January.
The Biancorossi, on the other side, are currently on a harsh losing streak. Fabrizio Castori’s squad have lost their last three matches, being defeated by Roma, Napoli and Fiorentina.
Carpi won the last clash between the two sides, in October, with a 2-1 victory. In that game, Torino’s goalkeeper Daniele Padelli scored an own goal before Ryder Matos made it two. Maxi Lopez’s late penalty was useless for Torino, as the Falconi achieved the first win in their Serie A history.
Torino’s coach, Ventura, is counting on the good form showed by his attacking duo, Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti; between the two of them, the couple scored eight out of the squad’s 12 goals since January. The Granata will have to do without midfielder Afriyie Acquah, defender Cesare Bovo and full-back Davide Zappacosta but they are still counting on a fit squad that can outrun the opposition.
On the opposite side, Castori is looking for a good match from his own attacking pair, formed by Jerry Mbakogu and Matteo Mancosu. Unfortunately, both of them are on a goal drought that lasts since Mancosu’s penalty against Palermo in late January. The scorer of the two last goals for Carpi, Kevin Lasagna, is going to be once again on the bench, in the hope of a substitution that can break the Torino’s defence well into the game.
Form Guide: Torino (W-L-D-D-L) Carpi (L-L-L-D-D)
Expected Starting XIs:
Torino: Padelli; Maksimovic, Glik, Moretti; Peres, Benassi, Gazzi, Baselli, Molinaro; Immobile, Belotti.
Carpi: Belec; Zaccardo, Romagnoli, Gagliolo; Sabelli, Crimi, Bianco, Lollo, Letizia; Mbakogu, Mancosu.
