Soccer Italy Serie A 20 February 2023

Torino vs Cremonese - Match Preview

Despite a 1-0 loss at Milan last time out, a quick glance at the table might indicate that Torino is on the verge of breaking into Serie A’s (SA) top-six, that is perhaps until you see they also start the round nine points adrift of sixth-place! With the European places potentially extending down to seventh depending on the Coppa Italia winner, it’s important that Torino justify their short odds and register a sixth straight successive SA win against newly-promoted opposition for the first time since 1950!

Bottom-placed Cremonese stand in the way of the hosts securing that feat, but with an unpredictable Torino posting just two wins from their last eight SA matches (D4, L2), this game may not be as cut-and-dried as it appears. The Maroons have been slightly stronger at home though, winning three of their last five home league games and could now win successive SA games ‘to nil’ at the Olympic Grande Torino Stadium for the first time since January 2022.

It’s going to take an incredible revival if Cremonese is to be playing SA football next season considering they’re still winless after 22 league games (D8, L14), making them the only side in Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues without a win this season! Only two sides in SA history have ever failed to notch a win after 23 games, and it’s needless to say both those teams went on to finish bottom of the table, a record which makes grim reading for Cremonese fans.

Their Coppa Italia run offers a glimmer of hope in a dreadful campaign, with Cremonese peculiarly knocking out big hitters Napoli and Roma on their way to a semi-final spot. Transferring that cup form into SA needs to happen quickly if Cremonese are to pull off a great escape, and you could argue their recent form has been respectable on the road, having drawn five of their last eight SA away games (L3).

📋 Players to watch: Torino’s Aleksey Miranchuk has netted three of his four SA goals this term in the 15 minutes before half-time. Goals aren’t that easy to come by for Cremonese, but David Okereke might prove to be the difference maker, with each of his five SA goals this term serving as his side’s first.

⚡ Hot stat: Torino is the only SA side not to have scored or conceded in the opening 15 minutes of a home league game this season.