Preview: Torino vs. Frosinone

Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Serie A clash between Torino and Frosinone, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Still in contention for European football next season, Torino are in need of maximum points at home to lowly Frosinone on Sunday afternoon.

While Toro trail their main rivals for a top-seven finish, the visitors are the only Serie A side yet to win away from home this season, which leaves them just inside the relegation zone.

Match preview
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After emerging from last week’s Derby della Mole with a 0-0 draw against Juventus – when they were ultimately unable to end an 18-game winless run versus their city rivals – Torino have not given up on gatecrashing Italy’s top seven this season.

Occupying ninth spot in the standings – and having played one game more than some of their fellow contenders – European qualification is still possible for the Granata, as events in this term’s UEFA competitions have seen Serie A earn at least seven places.

While Toro are far from prolific, only champions-elect Inter Milan have conceded fewer first-half goals than their tally of seven throughout Europe’s top five leagues, and such solidity has underpinned another impressive campaign under head coach Ivan Juric.

No team have kept more clean sheets at home in Serie A, while posting a total of 11 shut-outs overall since the start of December makes Torino one of the toughest sides to break down anywhere across the continent.

Ahead of the clubs’ contest in Turin, the Granata have won both of their previous top-flight home matches against Frosinone; however, they could only draw December’s reverse fixture and also crashed out of this season’s Coppa Italia to the Canarini.

Previously something of a win-or-bust side, Frosinone have drawn each of their last three matches – as many as in the previous 23 – and that has seen them remain mired deep in relegation trouble.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s side showed great resilience to twice come from behind to hold Scudetto-holders Napoli last time out, with Walid Cheddira striking twice against his parent club at Stadio Maradona.

After a bright start to their top-flight return, Frosinone have faltered since winter turned to spring, proving particularly vulnerable at set-pieces: following Victor Osimhen’s goal against them in Naples, the Canarini have conceded a league-high 20 goals from dead-ball situations.

However, they have also scored a league-high 45% of their goals from set-pieces, meaning that Torino’s tight defence could be tested on Sunday.

The only team still without an away win in Serie A this season, losing 11 times and drawing five on their travels so far, Frosinone are desperate to end such a streak sooner rather than later, but upcoming visits to Empoli and Monza may prove more inviting than this week’s trip to Turin.

Torino Serie A form:

Frosinone Serie A form:

Team News
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Joining his coach Ivan Juric on the sidelines due to suspension, Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci must sit out Sunday’s game at Stadio Olimpico Grande; Ivan Ilic could therefore be recalled to the hosts’ starting XI.

Koffi Djidji, Perr Schuurs, Gvidas Gineitis and Pietro Pellegri are still unavailable through injury, but that will not affect Juric’s plans to name a similar side to that which started last week’s Turin derby.

Leading the line up front, Duvan Zapata once scored four goals in one game against Frosinone (back in January 2019, for Atalanta BC), and he should be supported by Nikola Vlasic and Antonio Sanabria once again.

While Zapata is Toro’s top scorer this term, since Frosinone’s leading marksman Matias Soule started enduring a drought – which has now reached nine games – Walid Cheddira has partly picked up the slack.

The Napoli loanee has scored four league goals since the start of March, and his overall tally of six leaves him just one shy of joining Achraf Hakimi as the top-scoring Moroccan player in a single Serie A season.

Defensive duo Anthony Oyono and Ilario Monterisi have both been ruled out for the visitors, while Kevin Bonifazi and Abdou Harroui are still hampered by muscular issues and must pass a fitness test to play any part this weekend.

Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Linetty, Ilic, Lazaro; Vlasic; Sanabria, Zapata

Frosinone possible starting lineup:
Turati; Okoli, Romagnoli, Lirola; Zortea, Mazzitelli, Barrenechea, Valeri; Brescianini, Soule; Cheddira

We say: Torino 1-0 Frosinone
Torino barely give visitors a sniff of goal on home soil, while Frosinone cannot buy a win when on the road, so a low-scoring win for the Granata is surely on the cards. Although their suspended manager must watch on from the stands, Toro can eke out three more points and stay on track for a top-half finish.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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