03.03.2015 14:42 h

Tenacious Torino grab a slice of city bragging rights

Juventus may be powering towards a fourth consecutive title in Serie A but unfashionable city neighbours Torino are Italy's form team.

Giampiero Ventura's side sit eighth in the table 22 points adrift of Juventus, but with plenty to celebrate after perhaps their most successful week in years.

With five wins and four draws since the turn of the year, Torino are in absolute terms Italy's most successful Serie A side in 2015. And they are making Europe take notice.

Torino added a footnote to European football history when they became the first Italian side to win at Athletic Bilbao's Estadio San Mames last week.

In a fantastic week in the Europa League for Italian clubs -- five qualified for the last 16 of the competition -- Torino's battling 3-2 win over Bilbao was one of the highlights.

Ventura's men carried the momentum over to their league clash at home to Napoli on Sunday, with Kamil Glik's second-half header securing a rare win against the Serie A highflyers to leave Napoli coach Rafael Benitez fuming.

"I was angry after the (Torino) game because of how we played in the first half and because of the way we conceded the goal," Benitez told media a day before Napoli meet Lazio in the first leg of their Italian Cup semi-final tie in Rome on Wednesday.

This Torino may lag behind the great Torino side of the 1939-1949 period that won five league titles and finished runner-up twice.

But Ventura's men are providing joy to supporters who have long suffered in the shadow of Juventus, who became the city's dominant force after the Superga air tragedy which wiped out the entire 'Grande Torino' squad in May 1949.

While Juventus prepare for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie away to Borussia Dortmund, Ventura is playing down his side's prospects in Europe.

"As a squad we work really hard, the lads are tight-knit and a lot more mature and that has set us on the road towards targeting certain objectives," Ventura told the Tiki Taka football programme.

"But at the moment we just don't have the same financial power as the top clubs."

But the 67-year-old -- who had to reorganise his side this season after the sale of Alessio Cerci to Athletico Madrid (now with AC Milan) and Ciro Immobile to Borussia Dortmund -- is certain of his side's progress on the domestic front.

Polish international defender Glik has scored six goals this season -- more than many forwards including Francesco Totti, Fernando Llorente, Marek Hamsik and Stefano Okaka.

"It's one of the best weeks I've ever experienced at Torino," said Glik of his winner Sunday.

While Benitez was stunned, Ventura was not so surprised.

"We more than deserved to win," said Ventura. "And we won because we read the game better. We were prepared both for Napoli attacking and for sitting back.

"There was plenty of merit in our approach and I think people have to give the lads credit for it. I can't speak for Napoli, but people should give us the credit we deserve."

Torino will look to keep their unbeaten run in 2015 going at Udinese this weekend. In the Europa League they turn their attention to last 16 opponents Zenit Saint Petersburg on March 12 and 19.

Zenit, coached by former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas, beat Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven in the last round.

But Zenit defender Luis Neto expects a "complicated" follow up.

"Torino are a quality side who play good football," Neto told tuttomercatoweb.com.

"We're expecting two complicated games. We'll have to go into those games or the Granata will give us lots of problems."