Socrates

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Juventus must be ruthless against Shakhtar, says Agnelli The Bianconeri president has insisted that his men cannot afford to lose focus ahead of matchday 6, and is pleased to see other teams recognise their return to the top. Dec 4, 2012 Andrea Agnelli demands a ruthless and determined performance from Juventus when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League Group E game on Wednesday. A draw would be enough for the Serie A champions to secure second spot in their section, and thus qualification for the knock-out stages, but the club's president has warned that the Bianconeri are not there just yet. "Wednesday's match is incredibly important. We’ll need to face it with determination, anger and ruthlessness," Agnelli told reporters. "Two completely opposite outcomes could occur, from topping the group, to complete elimination. So we’ll have to be fully focused, because we want to keep our European dream alive." Juventus impressed with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on matchday 5, and Agnelli realises that the Old Lady's revival has not gone unnoticed elsewhere. "Last week I was in Moscow for an ECA meeting and hearing important people like Rosell or Karl-Heinz Rumenigge express their pleasure at Juve’s return to the top level, due to the club’s history and tradition, is something that fills us with pride and satisfaction." Wednesday's match is scheduled to kick off at 20:45CET.

................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (3^ giornata di ritorno) Donbass Arena - Donetsk mercoledì 5-12-2012 - Ore 20:45 Arbitro: Jonas Eriksson (Svezia) Confronti ufficiali 3 - 1 (Champions League) - 2 (Coppa UEFA) Vittorie Juventus 1 - 1 (Coppa UEFA) Pareggi 1 - 1 (Champions League) Vittorie Shakhtar 1 - 1 (Coppa UEFA) Goals Juventus 4 - 1 (Champions League) - 3 (Coppa UEFA) Goals Shakhtar 2 - 1 (Champions League) - 1 (Coppa UEFA) Shakhtar - Juventus a Donetsk Confronti ufficiali 1 Vittorie Juventus 0 Pareggi 0 Vittorie Shakhtar 1 (L'8.12.1976, 1-0 - Coppa UEFA) Goals Juventus 0 Goals Shakhtar 1 Giocatori con più presenze e goals contro lo Shakhtar 2 presenze Benetti Romeo 2 Bettega Roberto 2 Boninsegna Roberto 2 Causio Franco 2 Cuccureddu Antonello 2 Scirea Gaetano 2 Spinosi Luciano 2 Tardelli Marco 2 Zoff Dino 1 Furino Giuseppe 1 goal Bettega Roberto 1 Boninsegna Roberto 1 Bonucci Leonardo 1 Tardelli Marco Ultimi confronti diretti 24.11.1976 Coppa UEFA Juventus-Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 08.12.1976 Coppa UEFA Shakhtar Donetsk-Juventus 1-0 02.10.2012 Champions League Juventus-Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Giocate 3 - Vittorie Juventus 1 - Pareggi 1 - Vittorie Shakhtar 1 - Goals Juventus 4 - Goals Shakhtar 2

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Luiz Adriano banned for Shakhtar-Juve Dec 3, 2012 Luiz Adriano is suspended for the Shakhtar Donetsk Champions League game with Juventus after he “violated the principles of conduct.” The striker hit headlines all over the world when intercepting a pass back to Nordsjaelland to score after the ball had been put out of play for an injury. UEFA opened an investigation and then announced Luiz Adriano has been suspended for one match. This means he won’t be available for the final Champions League Group E game between Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus. The Bianconeri need a point from that match to be sure of qualification.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) UEFA Champions League Preview: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Juventus Dec 3, 2012 Matchday 6 of the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League is already upon us, and amidst numerous tantalising ties, none perhaps stands out more than Juventus' trip to the Ukraine to face Group E leaders Shakhtar Donetsk. With the Bianconeri not yet guaranteed a place in knockout phases of the competition, Angelo Alessio will field a full-strength side at the Donbass Arena on Wednesday. Leading In With Shakhtar Donetsk already comfortably through Group E, it is down to Juventus and Chelsea to fight it out for the remaining qualification spot. Following the Old Lady's 3-0 demolition of the Blues, Juventus gained a two-point upper hand heading into the last matchday. Despite Chelsea looking likely to defeat FC Nordsjaelland, Juventus simply need to take a point away from their visit to Donetsk to seal qualification. Furthermore, if Chelsea fail to win against their Danish opposition, Juventus' result against Donetsk is meaningless—Juventus will qualify. Shakhtar Donetsk Team News With qualification secured, Donetsk have the luxury of fielding a weaker squad against the Bianconeri, giving key players a much needed rest. However, despite this, manager Mircea Lucescu will be looking to leave Group E top of the group—a loss to Juventus would not allow this to happen. It is no secret that Shakhtar forward Luiz Adriano will miss the clash against the Turin giants following his breach of FIFA fair play. The Brazilian striker was handed a one-match ban by UEFA and will serve it out this Wednesday. They come into the match following a comfortable 2-0 win against Kryvbas in domestic league action. Expected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pyatov; Srna ©, Kucher, Rakitskiy, Rat; Stepanenko, Fernandinho; Teixeira, Mkhitaryan, Willian; Eduardo. Juventus Team News Following a 3-0 pumping of crosstown rivals Torino over the weekend, Juventus come into the clash against Shakhtar full of confidence. Despite this, they will count themselves lucky not to succumb to defeat at the hands of the group leaders in their Matchday 2 clash. Although it finished 1-1 in Turin, Juventus were clearly shellshocked by the attacking prowess of their counterparts and cannot afford to go behind early. Juventus midfielder Simone Pepe is ruled out through injury, but Giorgio Chiellini is expected to make a return to action—albeit off the bench. Arturo Vidal, who was rested on a precautionary basis over the weekend, will return to the starting 11. The Bianconeri, however, will be without talented midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who will serve a one-match ban after receiving three yellow cards thus far. It is expected that Paul Pogba will slot in for the Italian international. Expected Line-up (3-5-2): Buffon; Bonucci, Barzagli, Caceres; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Giovinco, Vucinic. Interesting Stats (courtesy of Eurosport and uefa.com). - Against Italian opposition, Shakhtar have a very poor record. In fifteen matches in European competitions against Italian teams, they have won just 4-of-15 matches. - Juventus have fired 38 shots on target in this year's installment of the competition, the most out of any club. - Shakhtar have netted the equal most goals in this year's competition, scoring 12 times across five matches. - Currently, head-to-head between the two sides reads: Shakhtar 1, Juventus 1 and one draw (previous encounter). - Andrea Pirlo's promotion to the first team during his time at Brescia, came under the watch of Lucescu. Pirlo went to debut in Italy two days after he turned 16. - Lucescu's record against Juventus is just one win out of 10 encounters. That victory came when he was managing Brescia in 1994. Prediction Shakhtar 1-2 Juventus. Despite boasting an impressive win record at home, Shakhtar will come up against a Juventus side hungry to top Group E. Following defeats to Inter and AC Milan in recent weeks, the Bianconeri will be looking to put criticism behind them by sending a message to Europe.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Pirlo: Juventus will help Chelsea Champions League qualification Chelsea news: Andrea Pirlo says Juventus will go for a win against Shakhtar Donetsk. Dec 3, 2012 Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo says his side won’t try and play out a draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in their Champions League clash this week in order to secure their progress to the knockout stages and dump Chelsea out of the competition. Chelsea stumbled to a 3-0 defeat against Juventus last month to leave them on the brink of becoming the first champions to be knocked out at the group stages in the Champions League era. The Stamford Bridge club’s only chance of progressing is by beating rock-bottom Group E rivals Nordsjaelland on Wednesday and hoping for a Shakhtar victory over Juventus in Ukraine. Talk in the build-up to the game has centred around whether both Juventus and Shakhtar will protect their own interests by playing out a draw to eliminate Chelsea, but Pirlo says that isn’t something him and his team-mates would ever consider. "Any talk of playing for a draw is not true of any of the players here at Juventus and I am sure it is not true of the Shakhtar players,” he said. “We want to win the group and I am sure Shakhtar do as well. "We have no duty to help Chelsea, but we have a duty to ourselves and to our fans to try and win the group. We want to win the group and I am sure Shakhtar do as well. “Any talk of playing for a draw is not true of any of the players here at Juventus and I am sure it is not true of the Shakhtar players." Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio echoed the sentiments of his team-mate, and insists the Serie A outfit will be doing all they can to claim three points and top spot in the group. He said: “A draw is not what we are after. It is a risk for both teams to play for a draw. We have to go there to play our own game and try to win the match.”

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) 5 Reasons to Believe Juventus Will Win the Champions League Dec 3, 2012 Rewind back six years to the beginning of the 2006-07 European season. A time where Ronaldinho was gracing the world stage, Cristiano Ronaldo was shining in Manchester, and the Italian national team were at the top of the world. For Juventus, however, things weren't as pretty. Following the Calciopoli scandal, the Bianconeri found themselves relegated to the Serie B and were sitting bottom of the table. Seven years on, though, the Old Lady is rebuilt, and after disposing of Chelsea 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League group clash, they are in a box seat to qualify out of their group. Provided they record at least a draw against Shakhtar Donetsk this week, Juve will be through to the knockout phases of the competition. Despite recent losses to both Inter Milan and AC Milan, Juventus have proven that they are indeed one of the best sides going around Europe at the moment. As such, tifosi everywhere have every right to believe that Antonio Conte's side can go all the way this year and bring the UEFA Champions League trophy to Turin. Here is why... Use of a 3-5-2 Formation During their 49-match unbeaten streak, Juventus adopted what was considered an unorthodox 3-5-2 formation. For any team, let alone one playing in Italy, a back-line comprising of just three defenders can be very easily undone and exploited. In addition to this, Juve had become accustomed to a 4-4-2 formation in the previous years and signed players accordingly. Despite this, Antonio Conte established a formation that became seemingly unbreakable. What is interesting to note is that the first time Conte's men were defeated adopting such a tactical mindset was at the hands of Napoli in the Coppa Italia. During this match, Napoli also employed the use of a 3-5-2 system and went on to win the title. In their recent defeat to Inter, Juventus were also defeated at the hands of a 3-5-2 formation. As such, Juventus' only defeat at the hands of a formation that does not comprise of three defenders is their controversial 1-0 loss to Milan. So why is this important? Well, in an infographic released on whoscored.com, it was revealed that the most popular formation used across each of the top five leagues in Europe was comprised of four defenders. In actual fact, the Serie A is the only league which features the 3-5-2 lineup in its top three formations of choice. Juventus' progression in the Champions League would see them face sides that do not adopt a similar formation. The Bianconeri are practically masters at applying the formation, and unless teams have honed its practicalities, they will easily be undone. The adoption of specialist players, including Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla and Andrea Pirlo in this formation has made it almost impenetrable as well as extremely effective. Any team that comes up against Juventus in the latter phases of the competition will have a very hard time dealing with the organised Bianconeri. Return of Antonio Conte After being sidelined for allegations of match fixing during his time with Siena in the Serie B, Antonio Conte is close to returning to the Juventus bench. Conte's return brings with it a renewed hunger for silverware, and considering Conte has only been defeated once at the helm of Juventus (vs. Napoli), his return will have Europe on high alert. The last time Conte made an appearance in the Champions League was as a player. During this time, he won the trophy and finished runner-up on three separate occasions. One would suspect that defeat in three separate finals will have Conte hungry to bring the title back to Juventus. His added passion as well as ability to make the tough decisions could see Juventus rise above the rest in the later stages of the competition. Best Midfield in the World After prolific showings both domestically and in Europe, Juventus' midfield can very well be considered the best in the world. Conte's setup, as previously mentioned, sees Juve play five strong across the middle of the park. In the centre of the park, Andrea Pirlo pulls all the strings alongside Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio. It has proved the perfect mix of creativity, work ethic and defensive mindset, with each of the three bringing their own unique quality to the pitch. With no distinct goalscorer upfront, Juventus' midfield shares the burden of getting goals, and it does so in emphatic fashion...after all, it was Arturo Vidal who netted in both legs against Chelsea and Claudio Marchisio who bagged a double just Sunday morning against Torino. Alongside Juventus' three central midfielders exist two makeshift wing-backs. During the summer transfer window, Juventus expertly recruited to fill these positions with specialist players. After poaching Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla from Udinese, the Bianconeri bolstered their starting 11. Both Isla and Asamoah rotate with Stephan Lichtsteiner in the role on either wing. The three have proven themselves to be amongst the fittest players in the Serie A and, as such, provide an extra outlet on both flanks in attack and defence. In conjunction with each other, the centre-of-the-park and wide players ensure that Juventus—on most occasions—keep a majority of possession. In addition to this, the Bianconeri possess depth on the bench in the form of Paul Pogba, Emanuele Giaccherini and Luca Marrone. Each of which is beginning to hone the required skills to tactically play out a 3-5-2 formation. Juventus Stadium Is a Home Ground Fortress With just one defeat in all competitions at Juventus' new home ground, the Juventus Stadium is proving somewhat of a fortress for the Bianconeri. The newly built stadium lies on the site of the Stadio Del Alpi—Juventus' former home ground. Whilst there were some memorable European nights when played at the Del Alpi, it will be up to the new generation of Bianconeri to write the new history books of their new home. If recent form is anything to go by, things are looking very promising. This year, Juventus—in the Champions League—have recorded two wins and a draw inside the state-of-the-art arena. In addition, they have netted eight times and conceded just once, prolific form for any side in Europe. Long Overdue The last time Juventus lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy was during the 1995-96 installment of the competition. Since then, the Bianconeri have made it as far as the finals on three occasions. There is no doubt that the closest they came was a loss in a penalty shootout at the hands of AC Milan in 2003. It has been 16 turbulent years in Turin, and although numerous pieces of silverware have been won—some revoked—nothing matches the elation of being crowned champions of Europe. Yes, an undefeated Scudetto is an amazing achievement, but until Juventus reclaim Europe's most prestigious title, they can never say they fully recovered from Calciopoli. They have the team. They have the coach. They have the infrastructure. Juventus have every reason to believe that 2012-13 will be their crowning glory in Europe.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Shakhtar want to beat Juve, says Lucescu Despite already having qualified, the Hirnyky boss says his side always aims for three points but has expressed worries about his Brazilian players thinking of the holidays. Dec 3, 2012 Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu says that his men will always go into matches to come out victorious ahead of the Champions League clash against Juventus. The Ukrainian champions currently sit top of Group E and are through to the final 16 in the competition, but the Romanian trainer says the table standing will not influence his team's approach. "Shakhtar is always there to win," the 67-year-old told Tuttosport. "If the game on Wednesday will end in a tie, it will mean that it was fate." Lucescu also warned that the Bianconeri might go into the fixture with more motivation, since a loss on Wednesday combined with a Chelsea win can still prevent the Italian side from proceeding to the knockout stages of the competition. "The fact that we are playing against Juve should be motivation enough for us. Great players thrive on these comparisons. Speaking of motivation, it is clear that Juve has more," he continued. And the coach expressed concerns that his side could be feeling fatigued after a lot of matches in a short amount of time, especially focusing on the Brazilian players in his team. "It has definitely been a hard time and we are starting to feel it," he said. "All they think about are the holidays, especially Brazilians who cannot wait to go home, where they will find the summer." He added: "The danger? Holidays in Brazil." Lucescu also said he felt there were two favourites to win the Champions League trophy, adding: "In their domestic leagues, they are all strong teams, but in the Champions League it is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone. "However, I like Barcelona and Bayern."

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Marchisio: Juventus have to beat Shakhtar Donetsk The Italy international will miss Wednesday's match due to suspension, but has stressed that the Bianconeri will be aiming for victory. Dec 3, 2012 Claudio Marchisio has urged Juventus not to settle for a draw in Wednesday's Champions League match away to Shakhtar Donetsk. The Serie A champions need one point in order to book their ticket for the knockout stages, while their opponents will secure top spot in Group E with a draw. "A draw is not what we're after. It's a risk for both teams to play for a draw. We have to go there to play our own game and try to win the match," Marchisio was quoted as saying by Tuttosport. "We are aware of their quality. They sit atop of the group and are the strongest team we have faced so far. It's true that we put in a great performance against Chelsea, but we aren't there yet. "It will not be an easy game and we will have to put in a performance similar to the one against Chelsea. We have to remain cautious and cannot let them surprise us." Marchisio will miss the crunch clash in Donetsk due to suspension after picking up his third yellow card of the campaign against Chelsea on matchday 5.

Agnelli hits out at Superga banner Dec 3, 2012 Andrea Agnelli has criticised the Juventus fans who unveiled a banner mocking the Superga tragedy during the derby against Torino. In May 1949, almost all of the Grande Torino side which dominated the Italian game were killed when their plane crashed on their return from Portugal. “I don’t believe that the supremacy of supporters should be manifested by remembering the tragedies of others,” Juve President Agnelli noted. “You see these banners in stadiums all over Italy with gratuitous insults that absolutely have to be condemned. “It is a shame to see that in a stadium where the atmosphere is noted by the Curva – they have the power to give personality to an arena. “Tragedies, as far as I am concerned, don’t have club loyalties.” Turning to the playing side of things, Agnelli was pleased with the win over Toro and looked forward to this week’s Champions League game at Shakhtar Donetsk. “It’s very pleasing to win a derby thanks to two players, Sebastian Giovinco and Claudio Marchisio, who grew up in our youth system,” he continued. “The most satisfying thing of the night was that from 10.30pm onwards, I didn’t hear from half of my friends… “Shakhtar? Our concentration, determination and anger must be strong enough to get the result that we need to qualify. “It’s a game that can give us different results. We could come first or, if we don’t face it in the correct manner, there could be elimination.” A win will see Juve top the group, a draw will see them come second and a loss – coupled with a Chelsea victory – will see the Old Lady demoted to the Europa League.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Benitez believes in Shakhtar Dec 3, 2012 Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez doesn’t think that Shakhtar Donetsk will be content with a draw against Juventus on Wednesday night. The Ukrainian giants are already qualified and only need a point to win the group, while the Italian outfit need just a point to come second. “We know that a draw would be bad for us,” Benitez, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo after the 3-0 loss at Juventus, stated. “But the positive thing is that Shakhtar have a lot of good players and everybody is talking about them, so they have to show the rest of the world that they are really good players. “When you know the top sides in Europe or in the world are watching you then you have to perform. “Obviously, Juve will go for the win, but Shakhtar will need to show this level that they have.” Chelsea need to beat Nordsjaelland this week and hope that the Bianconeri are defeated in their away trip. “Shakhtar might finish second and have to play against one of the top sides in Europe and it will be more difficult, so I think they will try to win,” Benitez claimed.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Juventus squad for Shakhtar Dec 3, 2012 Juventus boss Antonio Conte has named a 21-man squad for this week’s crucial Champions League game at Shakhtar Donetsk. The Old Lady need at least a point to qualify for the last 16, while a win would actually see them top the group. Claudio Marchisio is not included as he is suspended, while Lucio and Nicklas Bendtner are missing with injuries. Martin Caceres returns after injury, while Giorgio Chiellini is also in the squad although it is unclear whether he will start because of fitness issues. Squad: 1 Buffon, 3 Chiellini, 4 Caceres, 6 Pogba, 9 Vucinic, 11 De Ceglie, 12 Giovinco, 15 Barzagli, 19 Bonucci, 20 Padoin, 21 Pirlo, 22 Asamoah, 23 Vidal, 24 Giaccherini, 26 Lichtsteiner, 27 Quagliarella, 30 Storari, 32 Matri, 33 Isla, 34 Rubinho, 39 Marrone.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (6th leg) - 5-12-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ SHAKHTAR - JUVENTUS Donbass Arena - Donetsk Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) Benitez expects Chelsea to get helping hand from Shakhtar Donetsk The Spaniard has urged the Ukrainian side to "show their level" in their upcoming Champions League clash with Juventus, a game which has huge implications for the Blues. Dec 2, 2012 Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez has challenged Shakhtar Donetsk to prove their quality in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Juventus, a game which could make or break the Blues' chances in the competition. The west London club must beat Nordsjaelland and hope the Italian champions lose in order to seal a place in the knockout stages of Europe's premier competition. But, despite Mircea Lucescu's side having already sealed their place in the last 16, Benitez feels Shakhtar will still have a point to prove in their final group game. He told Sky Sports: "We know that a draw would be bad for us but the positive thing is that Shakhtar has a lot of good players and everybody is talking about them, so they have to show the rest of the world that they are really good players. "When you know the top sides in Europe or in the world are watching you then you have to perform. Obviously, Juve will go for the win but Shakhtar will need to show this level that they have. "They might finish second and have to play against one of the top sides in Europe and it will be more difficult, so I think they will try to win."

Serie A - 15^ Giornata - Andata - 1-12-2012 (ore 20:45) 3 - 0 Claudio Marchisio (57′) Sebastian Giovinco (67′) Claudio Marchisio (84′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Arbitro: Gianluca Rocchi Spettatori: 40042 Serie A - Marchisio e Giovinco regalano il derby alla Juve Il Torino perde 3-0: espulso Glik al 36’ per un fallaccio su Giaccherini, errore di Pirlo dal dischetto sul finale del primo tempo e doppietta del “principino”. I bianconeri tornano a vincere e si portano a quota 35. Eurosport - Sabato, 1 dicembre 2012 Nessuna paura. La Juventus data per dispersa dopo la serataccia di San Siro si ritrova puntualmente in una sfida da non steccare come il derby della Mole numero 226. La prima sfida giocata nel nuovo impianto bianconero termina con un pesante 3-0 ai danni del Torino, un risultato maturato tutto nell’ultima mezz’ora. Ma, i granata, erano rimasti seriamente in partita soltanto sino al 36’, quando un tackle durissimo di Glik ai danni di Giaccherini ha lasciato gli uomini di Ventura in dieci. Da lì in avanti, non c’è più stata partita. Con una Vecchia Signora che si è potuta permettere anche un errore di Pirlo dal dischetto sul finale del primo tempo. Merito di uno straordinario Marchisio, autore di una doppietta, e di Giovinco, che con un gol e un assist ha forse convinto in modo definitivo il difficile pubblico juventino. Un tris pesante, che vale il +5 momentaneo sul Napoli e il primo successo nelle ultime tre uscite di campionato. RITORNO A QUATTRO, VENTURA NON STUPISCE - Antonio Conte torna al 4-3-3 un po’ per via del 4-2-4 di Giampiero Ventura, un po’ per la defezione in extremis di Chiellini, che riporta De Ceglie titolare da terzino sinistro. In mediana c’è spazio per Pogba al posto di Vidal, mentre in attacco partono dal primo minuto Giaccherini, Vucinic e Giovinco. Il tecnico granata invece non sorprende con il modulo tradizionale e la conferma dell’undici che una settimana fa ha pareggiato con la Fiorentina. Cerci e Santana esterni, Bianchi e Meggiorini davanti con Glik e Ogbonna coppia centrale di difesa. GLIK ESPULSO, PIRLO ALLE STELLE - Il derby inizia all’insegna del grande tatticismo, con entrambe le formazioni molto combattive sulle fasce ma poco pungenti negli ultimi 25 metri. La prima occasione arriva al 24’, quando Bianchi serve di testa Meggiorini e l’ex Novara calcia a lato da buona posizione. Passano tre minuti e Gillet rischia di combinare una frittata colossale regalando palla a Pogba sugli sviluppi di un cross dalla sinistra di De Ceglie. Il francese sta per insaccare, ma l’arbitro ferma tutto per una carica inesistente ai danni del portiere granata. Il vero erroraccio è però quello di Glik, che al 36’ macchia una gran prestazione con un fallaccio incredibile ai danni di Giaccherini. Espulsione diretta e Torino in inferiorità numerica. La partita cambia, nonostante Ventura ponga parziale rimedico con Di Cesare al posto di Meggiorini (40’) e conseguente passaggio al 4-4-1. Al 41’ Basha scivola in area e travolge Pobga, rigore per la Juventus. Dal dischetto va Pirlo, al quale cede il pallone Vucinic. Incredibile ma vero, però, il regista spedisce il pallone alle stelle in un’incredibile revival dell’errore di Salas (grazie alla zolla spostata da Maspero) di dieci anni fa. La Vecchia Signora non demorde. Passa al 3-5-2 con Giaccherini e De Ceglie esterni ma si deve accontentare di chiudere il primo tempo sullo 0-0. RIPRESA-SHOW: DOPPIO MARCHISIO E GIOVINCO – Alessio torna nuovamente al 4-3-3 in avvio di ripresa con l’ingresso in campo di Bendtner al posto di Giaccherini. Vucinic si sposta sulla sinistra, Giovinco passa a destra. E cambia completamente la partita perché finalmente i bianconeri sfondano con un numero incredibile di cross dalle fasce. Al 49’ Pogba si divora il gol su imbeccata perfetta di Vucinic e spizzata successiva di Bendtner, ma altrettanto non fa Marchisio che al 57’ la mette dentro con un’incornata in tuffo propiziata da un cross delizioso di Giovinco dalla destra. La partita finisce virtualmente qui. Entra Asamoah al posto di De Ceglie per dare ulteriore spinta (61’), mentre Ventura leva Bianchi per inserire la finta punta Stevanovic (63’). Ma il Torino non esce più dall’area e al 67’ Giovinco fa doppietta con un bel diagonale dalla destra. Se il punteggio non diventa più pesante è soltanto perché Gillet fa due autentici miracoli su Pogba e Bendtner. Ma il gol è sempre nell’aria e così all’84’ Marchisio non si fa pregare sparando in porta un sinistro perfetto su assist di petto di Vucinic. È il 3-0, la mazzata definitiva per un Toro in partita soltanto per mezz’ora. La Juventus si ritrova e torna a volare. La maledizione dei granata, da 17 anni a secco nel derby della Mole, prosegue. LA MALEDIZIONE CONTINUA – Sarà anche vero che Pirlo ha fallito il decimo rigore in carriera e il terzo consecutivo in campionato. Ma la maledizione è soltanto granata. Il Torino continua a estendere la serie negativa più lunga di sempre nel derby della Mole ma nella storia delle stracittadine italiane. Dopo la sconfitta con l’Inter e il pareggio a reti inviolate con la Lazio, i bianconeri tornano a vincere in casa e si lanciano a quota 35, con cinque punti di vantaggio sul Napoli impegnato a mezzogiorno in casa contro il Pescara e sette sul duo Inter-Fiorentina. Il modo migliore per ripartire in vista della trasferta di mercoledì a Donetsk, lì dove con un pareggio si tornerebbe negli ottavi di Champions League a quattro anni dall’ultima volta. Qualcosa di forse ancora più importante della supremazia cittadina. Mattia Fontana - Eurosport http://youtu.be/JPvJ-Ye6fu4 http://youtu.be/t9BhyXyB638 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35pz43neVwc&feature=player_detailpage Juventus 3 - 0 Torino