15 December 2015
1) Juventus: Camp10ni
A ten-related countdown of key facts ahead of a Coppa Italia tie involving Juventus can only have one starting place.
Goals from Giorgio Chiellini and Alessandro Matri in May’s 2-1 victory over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico sealed the Bianconeri’s tenth Coppa triumph, making them the most decorated club in the competition’s history, overtaking Roma with whom they had been tied on nine since 2008.
Last season’s triumph brought an end to a 20-year spell of near misses and disappointment in the country’s domestic trophy following 1995’s Sergio Porrini-inspired surge to the title. Before then, Juve had been Coppa Italia champions three times in the space of 11 years between 1978/78, 1982/83 and 1989/90.
If, like us, you enjoy a good omen or a juicy historical quirk, then you will love this fact: all three of the OId Lady’s most recent Coppa trophies have been accompanied either by the league title or a European crown. Something to bear in mind for the year ahead.
2) A decade of quarter-finals
As ten-time champions, it should not come as a surprise that the Bianconeri have an imperious record in the early rounds of the cup, advancing to at least the quarter-finals in all of their last nine appearances in the round of 16.
This means of course that a victory over Torino on Wednesday night would be see them feature among the competition’s last eight for the tenth time in 11 attempts.
The last time they were eliminated at this stage of the Coppa was way back in 2004/05 at the hands of Atalanta following a 2-0 defeat in Bergamo and a 3-3 draw at the Stadio delle Alpi.
3) Ten not out for Max
While the celebrations of last season’s triumph in Rome were dedicated almost entirely to his record-breaking players, there was unfortunately, but also understandably, no mention of a similar double-figured landmark for Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri in the aftermath of the final.
That 2-1 win over Lazio was in fact the Tuscan’s tenth in the Coppa Italia in his managerial career, five of which came in the Bianconeri’s run to the final seven months ago.
Promisingly, should the reigning champions advance tomorrow night, it will be the second time Allegri has eliminated a side coached by opposite number Giampiero Ventura, with the first coming in January 2011 (Milan 3-0 Bari).
4) Double-figure Derby delight?
While cup encounters between the Old Lady and il Toro may provoke happier memories for the fans of the latter in recent times with Torino knocking out their rivals three times in a row in the Coppa Italia (at the semi-final stage in 1980, 1988 and 1993), the Bianconeri still hold the historical advantage over their noisy neighbours in the Coppa Italia.
As it happens, tomorrow night’s Derby della Mole will be the tenth to be played on Juve soil, with the boys in black and white emerging victorious on five occasions to Torino’s one.
5) Buffon's tenth birthday blues
We’re proud of this one: Bianconero elder statesmen Gianluigi Buffon was just 10 years old at the time of Torino’s most recent Coppa Italia VICTORY over Juventus in April 1988.
While the Granata would reach the final at our expense, and indeed lift the trophy in 1993, that particular success (from their point of view) came on away goals following a pair of draws (1-1 and 2-2 at the Delle Alpi) in the two-legged semi-final.
6) Il Toro lets them in...
Torino have found things a little tougher since then however, particularly since the turn of the millennium. The explanation for their absence from the last six quarter-finals, with the last coming in 2008/09, may well be the porous nature of their defence in Coppa Italia encounters.
Since defeating lowly Lumezzane 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in August 2011, il Toro have conceded in 10 of 11 knockout fixtures including seven in their last three following early-round defeats to Siena (2-0), Pescara (2-1) and Lazio (3-1).
7) ...the Old Lady smashes them in
Juve on the other hand cannot seem to stop scoring when the magic of the cup comes to town, finding the net, conversely with their local rivals, 10 times in 11 Coppa Italia matches, with the sole blot on their copybook coming in the aforementioned 2-0 defeat to Atalanta in Bergamo on 19 November 2004.
8) Decimal points
Moving slightly away from the cup-theme while maintaining complete adherence to our numerical one, this next decimal fact is not as partisan as the previous seven but still equally as interesting.
Following comeback victories over Bologna (3-1), Empoli (3-1) and Fiorentina (3-1) and September’s 1-1 draw with Chievo at Juventus Stadium, the Bianconeri are tied with Torino for the most points recovered from losing positions this season (10).
Juve can go one step further than tomorrow’s visitors however, having dropped just two points from matches in which they’ve taken the lead this season, a league record equaled by Roberto Mancini’s Inter.
As chance would have it, the Old Lady scored 10 times to claw back those deficits against Bologna, Empoli, Fiorentina and Chievo. Creepy, eh?
9) The ten of Tevez
As for the Derby della Mole itself, goals have been notoriously difficult to come by for strikers of either side in the last four encounters between Juventus and Torino with midfielders and defenders dominating the scoresheet.
Preceding strikes from Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo (2), Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado, ex-Juve number 10 Carlos Tevez is the last Bianconero forward to find the net in this fixture, his winner and iconic celebration settling the affair in February 2014.
Three of il Toro’s four recent efforts against the Bianconeri on the other hand have come from defenders (Bruno Peres, Matteo Darmian and Cesare Bovo), all coming either side of Fabio Quagliarella’s strike in April.
10) Eleven minus Juan
Bear with us on this last one: Cuadrado’s epic winner at Juventus Stadium on Halloween night aside, Torino have shipped 10 goals in the final half an hour of matches this season, the fourth highest figure in Serie A.
Now, it may not be the most convincing link to the number 10 but it does at least provide a legitimate reason to bring this magnificent Derby moment back to your attention. Another one of these on Wednesday night would do quite nicely…
