View from the Opposition: Torino

Coming off a victory over Udinese, Ivan Juric's Torino side will be looking to continue in that vein at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening.

We spoke to Gianluca Sartori, a journalist for Toro News, to get an idea of how the Turin side plan to take on Jose Mourinho's men...

How much have Torino been revitalised by that victory over Udinese, especially after the defeat against Spezia?

"You can really feel the value of that win, especially considering the way it came about. A draw would have probably been a fair result given the fact Udinese went very close to making it 2-2 on more than one occasion. They also had more shots than Juric's side over the course of the game (which is a bit unusual, as Torino haven't tended to give much away under him).

"There's a lot of faith in Juric around the club - he's already won over almost everyone with the way he has been able to impose a clear influence on the side, both tactically and in terms of the mentality. But there is also an awareness that the side has dropped too many points in the closing stages of games (seven of the 13 goals they've conceded have come in the last 15 minutes of games)."

They seem to be a boom or bust side - they've only drawn twice so far this season.

"What you say is true, but it's worth being even more specific: Torino win at home and lose away, or at least they have done over the lsat six games. Juric's side are showing that they don't make mistakes in the games where they really can't afford to make mistakes. So home games against Salernitana, Genoa, Sampdoria and Udinese have all ended with them picking up all three points.

"On the road, however, the side seems to lose something and that is borne out by the four points they've picked up: only Cagliari (two) and Salernitana (three) have done worse. Only by resolving that difference between home and away form can Torino hope to aim high in the league this season - even if a season in mid-table without any major relegation worries would still be a sizeable step forward from the last couple of campaigns."

Will Juric change his team much from the one that faced Udinese?

"I expect him to stick with more or less the same formation, although a few key players (Rodriguez, Ansaldi and Mandragora) will be out unless there are some major surprises. On the flanks he might switch a few things, with Singo and Aina on the right and left respectively."

Other than Andrea Belotti, who is the key man for this Torino side?

"The most indispensible of all of them is Bremer. No player in Serie A this season has more interceptions (48), duels won (91), aerial duels won (50) or balls won back (105) than him. And he's also the defender with the most goals to his credit (six) this calendar year.

"The numbers mark him out as one of the very best defenders in Serie A and that's really the case. Beyond that, I would also mention Brekalo - the Croatian has the ability to break open a game."

What are you expecting from Roma on Sunday night?

"I expect them to be revitalised after the two wins over the past week. I also think there are a couple of players, like Mkhitaryan and Zaniolo, who seem to be finding form again and could make the difference.

"Being without Jordan Veretout and Bryan Cristante in midfield could be a real blow though, because Torino have Pobega and Lukic there who are both in good form. They are good, strong, combative all-round players who make it hard for opponents."

Which player would you like to take off Roma right now?

"Lorenzo Pellegrini is definitely one of the best midfielders in the league, and I've always had a bit of weakness for Mkhitaryan - whose only weakness is perhaps that lack of consistency.

"Felix Afena-Gyan has also come on in recent games and added a jolt of enthusiasm and directness to games. He's still pretty unknown so I think the Torino defenders will probably need to pay some extra attention to him."

What's your prediction for the game?

"As I said before, Torino have not been very convincing on their travels so far this season. Roma also have a very strong record at home in this match.

"But, having said that, in their last two games against big sides (Milan and Napoli) Torino were more than value for a result, ultimately only losing out due to bad luck and a few crucial moments.

"If we look at the league table over the last 10 matches then Torino have actually picked up more points than Roma (13 to 12) - so, all in all, I see Roma as the favourites but perhaps not by as much as people think."