Preview:Torino vs Pisa - prediction, team news, lineups

Torino and Pisa go head-to-head in the Coppa Italia second round at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on Thursday evening.

The Granata are determined to avoid another early exit after last year’s disappointment, while their newly-promoted visitors will look to cause an upset and inject some positivity into a difficult return to Serie A.

Match preview

It has been an underwhelming opening to the campaign for Torino, who sit 12th in Serie A after four matches, recording just one victory alongside two defeats.

Their struggles have largely been defensive, having conceded eight goals – the joint-highest tally in the division alongside bottom-placed Lecce.

At the other end, goals have been scarce too, with only two scored across their last five outings in all competitions.

They head into this fixture on the back of a heavy 3-0 defeat to Atalanta BC at the weekend, a result that highlighted their early-season inconsistency.

Torino advanced from the first round thanks to Nikola Vlasic’s 51st-minute strike in a narrow 1-0 win over Modena FC 2018, and they will hope for a more convincing display this time around.

Marco Baroni’s men will be eager to avoid a repeat of last season’s disappointment, when they exited the competition at this very stage against Empoli.

Pisa, meanwhile, are back in the top flight after finishing second in Serie B last season, but life among Italy’s elite has been tough so far.

Rooted near the foot of the table with just one point from four games, Alberto Gilardino’s side are yet to taste victory and have conceded six goals while scoring only three.

Their latest match was a spirited 3-2 loss to Napoli, a performance that showed fight but ultimately left them empty-handed.

Their Coppa Italia journey began with a penalty shootout win over Cesena after a goalless draw, though that game came at a cost as defender Arturo Calabresi was sent off following two bookings and will now miss this clash.

Pisa also fell at this stage last season, bowing out in a 1-0 defeat to Cesena, which means new coach Gilardino has extra motivation to take his side further this time and avoid back-to-back early exits.

The last competitive meeting between these two sides came in 2016, when Torino recorded a 4-0 victory after extra time in the Coppa Italia fourth round.

Torino Coppa Italia form:

Torino form (all competitions):

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Pisa Coppa Italia form:

Pisa form (all competitions):

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Team News

Baroni could opt for a four-man midfield, with Cesare Casadei and Kristjan Asllani likely to anchor the centre of the park.

Nikola Vlasic, the hero of the first round, should retain his place, while Giovanni Simeone is set to spearhead the attack.

For Pisa, Calabresi will serve his suspension following his red card against Cesena.

Daniel Denoon is a doubt after illness and a minor injury saw him miss Pisa’s recent fixtures against Udinese and Napoli.

Calvin Stengs is also a doubt after sustaining a thigh injury, which forced him to miss the Napoli clash.

Torino possible starting lineup:

Israel; Coco, Maripan, Ismajli; Lazaro, Casadei, Asllani, Biraghi; Ngonge, Simeone, Vlasic

Pisa possible starting lineup:

Semper; Lusuardi, Caracciolo, Canestrelli; Akinsanmiro, Marin, Aebischer, Toure; Tramoni, Moreo; Nzola

We say: Torino 2-0 Pisa

Both teams have made faltering starts to their league campaigns, but Torino’s quality and home advantage should give them the upper hand.

Pisa’s defensive issues and lack of cutting edge in attack suggest they may struggle to cause an upset, with the Granata tipped to advance to the next round with a home win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.