Torino vs Palermo Predictions

• Torino lost just two of their final nine matches last season, against Napoli and Roma.
• Il Toro conceded just 41 Serie A goals last season, a record only bettered by Italy’s top four.
• Palermo will be playing in Sere B for the first time since 2019 this season after winning Serie C’s play-offs in June, but are currently without a head coach.

Turin trip marks Palermo return

Having found themselves in the fourth tier of Italian football as recently as 2020 after enduring a financial crisis, Palermo will be plying their trade in Serie B for the first time since 2018-19 this term, and will welcome their Coppa Italia trip to Torino as a long-overdue return to the big time. Given Il Toro’s strong end to the 2021-22 Serie A campaign, however, an upset looks unlikely.

Indeed, Torino lost just two of their final nine league games last season – against Napoli and Roma – en route to a top-half finish under Ivan Juric. Only Serie A’s top four posted better defensive records than Il Toro last season (with Juric’s team conceding 41 league goals), and despite the loss of Brazilian colossus Bremer to Juventus, they shouldn’t be troubled by their lower-league opponents.

Indeed, Palermo may have won promotion just two months ago, but a sense of crisis has already engulfed them, with the Sicilians seeing head coach Silvio Baldini quit over disagreements with the City Group, who recently completed a takeover of the club. A 5-0 friendly loss to Pisa – who came third in Serie B last term – also represented less-than-ideal preparation for the new season.

Il Toro set for routine victory

Given Torino’s strong defensive displays at an elite level last season, not to mention Palermo’s chaotic off-season, backing the hosts for a shutout victory looks a strong play for Saturday. Meanwhile, a 3-0 home victory could represent correct score value.