Torino and Monza meet at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on 23 October 2026 in a Serie A Matchweek 8 fixture that matters more to Monza than the table currently suggests. Torino sit 10th with 10 points from seven games while Monza are 14th with seven and a home win would let Torino pull further clear of a direct rival whereas another defeat would leave Jurić's side looking uncomfortably close to the lower reaches. Both clubs arrive here having won heavily at the weekend, though the tactical profiles underneath those results could hardly be more different.
This is the first league meeting between Ignazio Abate and Ivan Jurić, both appointed on 1 July 2026, Abate replacing Roberto D'Aversa at Torino and Jurić taking over from Paolo Bianco at Monza, with their only prior encounter going to Jurić in a 1-0 Coppa Italia win in September 2026.
Torino head into this with three wins from their last five league games, most recently a 3-0 away victory at Parma on 19 October that illustrated how much Abate has sharpened their shape since taking over, making them quicker in transition without letting the defensive shape collapse when the ball is lost. Monza's form is patchier with four defeats in seven but a 4-0 home win over Cagliari the same weekend offered some breathing room driven largely by Gustavo Varela, who has six goals in his last run of matches.
Torino are short defensively, with Franco Israel (shoulder), Niccolò Fortini (thigh), Emirhan İlkhan (adductor, out until late October) and Ricardo Rodríguez (tendon, out until mid November) all unavailable, meaning Abate will rely on Saúl Coco and Ardian Ismajli at centre back with Rolando Mandragora anchoring a reorganised midfield. Monza are in even worse shape, with Lorenzo Lucchesi suspended after a red card and Jan Ziółkowski, Matteo Pessina, Idrissa Touré, Yvan Maye and Exequiel Zeballos all ruled out through injury. Losing Pessina and Touré reshapes how Monza can control the midfield third and the squad depth to cover it simply is not there.
Abate runs a back three built around keeping shape and hitting on the counter, with Ché Adams and Giovanni Simeone as targets for counter attacks when Monza press high, Nikola Vlašić operating in the pocket between midfield and attack and Mandragora sitting deep to control tempo, all of which points to Abate absorbing early pressure and playing through Mandragora rather than pushing the midfield line up. Jurić's side press aggressively from a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2, looking to win the ball high and turn defence into attack quickly, with Varela the first name Jurić looks to when Monza win the ball back. Without Pessina and Touré supplying him, though, the service will be thinner and Dany Mota and Jay Robinson will need to drop deeper to link play, leaving the space behind them for Torino's forwards to run into on the turn. If Mandragora shuts down Colpani's ability to pick passes forward, Varela will be very isolated up top.
Torino have historically been the stronger side in league meetings, though Monza will point to that Coppa Italia result in September when Dany Mota's goal gave them a 1-0 win. Monza had a full squad that day and the conditions are not really comparable to what Jurić can call on now.
Coco and Ismajli give Torino a real aerial advantage at set pieces and Monza's depleted defence looks vulnerable in those moments. Spaces open on the counter whenever Monza's wing backs push high and Torino have the pace to exploit them. With no obvious replacement for Touré's physical presence in midfield, Jurić has no obvious way to stop Torino picking passes through the centre on the counter and Torino's superior options off the bench and cleaner injury picture at the back matter in a game likely to be tight.
Torino 2-1 Monza. Abate's willingness to sit in a mid block and hit quickly on the turn should limit how often Jurić's press actually wins the ball in dangerous areas and Adams and Simeone have the pace to punish Monza whenever they push their wing backs and midfield runners forward, which they will need to do if they fall behind. Varela's form suggests he will find a way even with thinner service and Torino's makeshift defensive pairing may give him a moment but Torino's depth and home crowd should be enough to see out a result even if Monza make it uncomfortable late on.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
