Torino – Monza

Monza is heading to Turin to earn points.

Torino have won for the second round in a row. In the previous round, the Bulls faced Parma away, a team in crisis that had recently changed coaches. The Granata stunned their opponents as early as the fourth minute, and twenty minutes later the visitors doubled their lead. The second half began with attacks from the Crusaders. Despite this, Abate’s men scored the third goal of the match. With a beautiful long-range strike in the 69th minute, Simeone put the finishing touch on the game. A round earlier, the Turin side had faced Udinese. Like Parma, the Friulians cannot be called a team in good form. The injury epidemic has significantly affected Runjaic’s team’s potential, and the Granata were able to take advantage of that. Torino’s 2–1 victory was deserved, but would it have been possible under different circumstances? Monza thrashed one of the league leaders, Cagliari. The Islanders tried to play more actively at the start of the match, but it produced no result. On the contrary, the Brianzoli took advantage of a mistake and created the opening goal on the counterattack. Thus, in the 39th minute, Kouadio laid the foundations for the Rossoblu’s downfall. At the start of the second half, Varela scored the second. Robinson then added another, and toward the end of the match Varela completed his brace. An extremely convincing performance. The opponents have already met this season. In the Coppa Italia round of 32, the Brianzoli travelled to Turin. The hosts started better, but the visitors played in a more organized manner. Toward the end of the first half, Ivan Juric’s men took the lead thanks to a goal from Dany Mota. The Granata were unable to turn the match around in the second half. Monza looked far more organized and deservedly knocked their opponents out of the cup. It is worth examining the teams’ statistical metrics. The Biancorossi are underperforming their xPTS by 3.25 points. At the same time, according to xG, they should have conceded 2.65 fewer goals. Torino, although only slightly, have overperformed both their goal and points figures. According to xG, the Bulls should have scored 1.22 fewer goals, while their xPTS total is one point higher. Both clubs secured important victories in the previous round and are in excellent form. The Granata, however, remain somewhat chaotic, and Ignazio Abate’s football still lacks a clear structure. Ivan Juric will not miss the opportunity to cause trouble for his former team for a second time. The visitors should be expected to take points.