2 Hellas Verona vs 3 Torino
Torino eyeing five opening game unbeaten run in Verona.
As Hellas Verona host Torino at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Friday evening, both teams seek to solidify their standing in Serie A, with Verona aiming to avoid a third early-season defeat and Torino striving to extend their unbeaten streak.
Hellas Verona
Verona have had a mixed start to their 2024-25 Serie A campaign, winning and losing two games each while in 7th place with six points. In their most recent league outing, the Mastiffs lost 2-1 to Lazio, with all three goals scored in the opening 20 minutes.
Casper Tengstedt's goal in the 7th minute was sandwiched between goals from Lazio's Boulaye Dia (5') and Valentín Castellanos (20'). Verona have now lost two of their last three league games, a stark contrast to their previous form where they lost only two of their last eight matches.
The Mastiffs will be hoping to avoid a third defeat in their opening five Serie A matches when they host Torino on Friday, a situation that has occurred only once since their return to the top flight in 2019-20. With 26 draws in 60 top-flight meetings between these teams, Verona have drawn this fixture more than any other one in Serie A.
However, since Paolo Zanetti took over as head coach of Hellas Verona in June, he is yet to record a draw in his five matches. A 4-3-3 formation with Tengstedt, Abdou Harroui, and Grigoris Kastanos in attack is expected for Friday’s fixture.
Juan Manuel Cruz headlines a list of injured Torino players who will miss this clash.
Torino
A goalless draw against Leece in their last league game meant that Torino remained unbeaten after four league matches this season (DWWD). The Granata have drawn and won two games each (2W, 2D, 0L), leaving them in 5th place with eight points.
Torino will be hoping to start a top-flight season unbeaten in the opening five games for just the second time in the era of three points for a win, after doing so in 2017-18. Standing in their way is Verona, a side they have enjoyed a fine streak against in recent years.
The visitors have won their last three away games against the Mastiffs, which is their longest streak of wins on the road in the competition. Torino have also conceded just two goals in their last six encounters with the hosts while keeping four clean sheets in four of those games.
Paolo Vanoli, who has had a fine start to his reign with the Granata, could become the fourth manager to avoid defeat in his first five league games in charge of the club if his side avoids defeat on Friday. A 3—5—2 formation with Duván Zapata and Che Adams in attack is expected to be seen against Verona.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.