MILAN – Juventus is just one game away from a perfect November, and it has every reason to be confident going into Sunday's Turin derby against Torino.
Not only is the three-time reigning Serie A champion sitting atop the table, it also took a giant step toward qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages with victory in Malmo midweek.
Massimiliano Allegri's team has a perfect record in all competitions this month, and has also won the past six encounters with Torino. In addition, on Sunday it will be 12 years, nine months and seven days since Torino last scored a goal against the Bianconeri.
If Juventus does slip up, second-place Roma can take advantage when it hosts Inter Milan later on Sunday.
AC Milan, which drew its derby match against Inter last week, welcomes Udinese.
Here are some things to know about the Italian league:
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TERRIBLE TORO
Torino is struggling at the moment, sitting 15th in the league after losing its past two matches. It has also managed to score just seven goals all season — the second worst attack in Italy's top flight.
"In football there are positive moments and negative ones," Torino coach Giampiero Ventura said. "We just need to stay calm and be aware of our situation as we continue to work hard.
"We know that when we play as we know how to do, we can get good results."
Ventura's team hasn't even been able to score from the penalty spot lately, missing their past three spot kicks.
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ROMA REELING
Roma has to pick itself up quickly from its European disappointment as it turns its attention back to the domestic competition.
Roma appeared to be heading for a vital win at CSKA Moscow but the Russian side scored an equalizer in stoppage time which captain Francesco Totti said felt like "a punch from (Mike) Tyson."
Roma, which is three points behind Serie A leader Juventus, hosts Inter Milan — which recently welcomed back Roberto Mancini as coach.
"We're focusing all our energy on the league now," Totti said. "It will be a difficult match, they have changed coach and Mancini is a great motivator.
"It's always a special game against Inter but we have to keep on going and stay close to Juve."
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FIGHT FOR THIRD
It will be a battle for third when Sampdoria host Napoli on Monday.
Napoli currently occupies the final Champions League qualifying spot with 22 points, but Samp is just one point behind.
Both teams had disappointing results last week, with Samp drawing 1-1 at lowly Cesena and Napoli squandering a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 to Cagliari.
"We want to recover the two points we lost last Sunday and we will play to win," Sampdoria captain Daniele Gastaldello said. "But we're expecting an angry Napoli side after their last match, and they will also want to get back on track."
Genoa has 20 points ahead of its visit to Cesena on Sunday, while Lazio is on 19 before playing Chievo Verona on Saturday.
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