ff sides, and Wassall believes if Derby can continue to perform next season

ROME -- Italys best goalkeeper opposite one of the best foreigners at the position.Serie As top imported forward against Italys most in-form striker.With matchups like Gianluigi Buffon against Joe Hart in goal and Gonzalo Higuain facing Andrea Belotti in attack, Sundays Turin derby will have plenty of individual star quality.Its the combined quality of both squads, though, that sets the match apart from recent editions of the rivalry.While Juventus continues to dominate Serie A -- the Bianconeri are aiming for a record sixth straight Serie A title -- Torino is showing more promise this season than it has for decades.In seventh place, just three points behind fourth-place Napoli, the Granata (maroons) are firmly in the running for a Europa League spot.Torino is strong, theyve strengthened themselves this year with the arrival of skillful, experienced players, but the flavor of this derby doesnt change -- its always a special match, Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro said.Buffon and Hart had a memorable duel when Italy beat England in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals of the 2012 European Championship.This is the first time two of the worlds best goalkeepers will face each other in Serie A, following Harts loan from Manchester City -- making him the first English goalkeeper in the history of Serie A.Both goalkeepers will have to worry about top-quality forwards in Higuain and Belotti.Higuain joined Juventus for an Italian-record 90 million euros ($100 million) after scoring 36 goals for Napoli last season to break a 66-year-old Serie A record. While Higuain has struggled at times with his new club, the Argentina international ended a month-long drought by scoring the opener in Juventus 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday.Belotti, meanwhile, has scored 10 goals in 13 Serie A matches and three in five appearances for Italy after making his debut for the national team in August.Amid reports of interest from Manchester United, the 22-year-old Belotti recently agreed to a contract extension through 2021 and a 100 million euro ($106 million) escape clause at Torino -- slightly more than what Juventus spent on Higuain.Im going to repay this confidence by always giving my best, every day in training and in every minute of every match, Belotti said.Belotti has combined with former Roma forwards Iago Falque (seven goals) and Adem Ljajic (five) to help form the third-most prolific attack in the Italian league this season. Only second-place Roma (35 goals) and Juventus (32) have scored more goals than Torino (31) this season.Perhaps the biggest difference between the teams lies in defense.Despite Harts influence, Torino has struggled to defend dead-ball opportunities while Juventus has been able to weather injuries to key defenders Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.Daniele Rugani, a 22-year-old defender considered the next in a long line of great Italian center backs, has filled in admirably for Juventus and has also shown off his abilities on headers, scoring from corners against both Atalanta last weekend and Dinamo.A worry for Juventus is the alarming trend that all three of its losses this season have come following Champions League matches.Still, Juventus is confident with a four-point lead in Serie A and after winning its Champions League group.We had three objectives for before the holiday break: winning the group, staying ahead in the Italian league and winning the Super Cup, Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegrin said after the win over Dinamo. Were on the right path.Juventus faces AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup in Doha, Qatar, on Dec. 23.Torinos rise has mirrored that of its president, Urbano Cairo, who in August became chairman and chief executive of the RCS media group, which publishes the Gazzetta dello Sport and organizes the Giro dItalia cycling race.Torino can also rely on a coach known as a great motivator.Sinisa Mihajlovic, who was hired in May after he was fired by AC Milan, has had plenty of experience in derbies, starting with his playing career with Roma, Sampdoria, Lazio and Inter Milan.The derby is a match for men, Mihajlovic said. Weve got the utmost respect for Juve but we know that if we play like were capable of we can play even with them, and even win.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Tim Hardaway Jr. Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. 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Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days.Darren Wassall praised his Derby team after their second-leg performance against Hull and hit back at the recent critics of his side. The Rams produced a much-improved display after looking lacklusture at the iPro Stadium in the first leg on Saturday, and did win the game 2-0.Johnny Russell put the visitors ahead after just seven minutes and the comeback looked on after Andrew Robertson turned the ball into his own net just before half-time, but Derby couldnt find another killer blow to take the tie all the way. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final second leg Hull saw out the game to win 3-2 on aggregate and set up a play-off final with Sheffield Wednesday, but Wassall was full of praise for his team following Tuesdays game. Were certainly very disappointed after Saturday, but I cant stress how proud I am of all the players tonight, the Rams head coach told Sky Sports. Derby Countys Johnny Russell celebrates his opening goal with Craig Bryson Thats how Derby County should turn up. Thats how I want a team representing me to turn up and we certainly turned up tonight. The play did the talking for them, I shouldnt have to say too much.We didnt lose the tie tonight, we lost it on Saturday and we know that but everybody who was questioning our attitude and our courage, our application and desire and what were all about, tonight we showed what Derby Countty is all about and Im very proud of the performance tonight.dddddddddddd Cyrus Christie makes progress for Derby at the KC Stadium. The Midlands outfit had beaten Hull twice in the regular season and had a good record against other play-off sides, and Wassall believes if Derby can continue to perform next season, they can make it to the Premier League.He said: The damage was done on Saturday and we had to put that to bed very quickly, but that performance is the type of performance weve been having consistently since Ive been in charge and unfortunately, when it mattered on Saturday, we didnt get that performance for whatever reason.Wed beaten Hull twice this year, we have now beaten them three times so its a funny old game that we beat them three times and didnt get to Wembley. Will Hughes and Johnny Russell were frustrated not to get the third goal Were very disappointed that were out of the tie because I think everybody saw that we deserved to go through on that performance, but credit to Hull, they won the tie and we wish them luck in the final. At least weve ended the season on a high and Ive said to the players, if they continue to perform like that on a consistent basis for 46 games next season, they will get out of his league. Also See: Hull scrape past brave Derby As it happened ' ' '