Match Preview – Inter Milan vs Juventus

Match Preview – Inter Milan vs Juventus

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The Derby D’Italia pits Italian champion and Champions League finalist Juventus against an Inter Milan side that has not lost since March and is looking to make a late run into the Europa League places.

In what is one of Italian football’s most anticipated matches in the Serie A schedule, the Nerazzurri square up against the Old Lady at the Giuseppe Meazza, with only the home side playing for something in the remaining three games of the campaign.

With the Bianconeri‘s midweek draw against Real Madrid, advancing the Italian giant into the final of the Champions League for the first time since 2003, the club from Turin will be on a high and feeling confident that it can defeat the old enemy.

Inter has not lost since late March, however, where it went down 1-0 to Sampdoria, winning four and drawing three in the process. Top of the table Juventus, meanwhile, has won only three of its last six in Serie A, as the club has shifted its focus to the Champions League as well as the Coppa Italia since securing its fourth title in a row.

The aforementioned Coppa Italia will take place on Wednesday night in Rome, meaning Juventus is likely to field a somewhat weakened side against Roberto Mancini’s men.

The previous meetings between the two clubs have seen Inter emerge victorious only once in its last five attempts, with the Old Lady winning two and the remaining two ending as draws.

Despite the diminished significance in the upcoming match, the same tension and hatred remains between the two teams as well as its supporters and a fiery encounter is certainly on the cards in the Derby D’Italia in Milan.

Key Battle – Mateo Kovacic v Arturo Vidal

With both teams likely to play a diamond in midfield, the the winner of a hard-fought contest in the middle third of the pitch will likely help his side claim victory at the San Siro.

Kovacic’s creativity was a key factor in the Nerazzurri gaining maximum points from their trip to Rome on the weekend, and with Fredy Guarin out injured and Hernanes suspended, the Croatian’s importance to his side will show in this encounter.

Vidal’s running power and willingness to cover every blade of grass was paramount in Juve’s 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. Such was his influence on the game that, even playing as an attacking midfielder for most of the match, he was able to make a late run into his own box to clear a Cristiano Ronaldo cross that was heading straight for Isco who had an open goal.

The man known as Il Guerriero (The Warrior) will be vital in the upcoming match and may have a decisive impact on the game, assuming Massimiliano Allegri starts him.

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Team News

The home side will be without Guarin, who will be out for the rest of the season, and the suspended Hernanes; two players who have been indispensable for the Nerazzurri during their revival under Mancini. This means Xherdan Shaqiri will most likely come in and fill the vacant Trequartista role previously held by Hernanes, who received his fifth yellow card of the season against Lazio. Marcelo Brozovic is another likely inclusion to the squad in place for the injured Guarin.

Inter Milan Expected XI (4-1-2-1-2): Handanovic (GK); D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Vidic, Juan Jesus; Medel; Brozovic, Kovacic; Shaqiri; Icardi, Palacio.

The Bianconeri’s heavy schedule means that rotation will occur, with Paul Pogba almost certain to drop to the bench after recently coming back from a hamstring injury and featuring for nearly a full game against Real Madrid. Fringe players Simone Padoin, Paolo De Ceglie, Stefano Sturaro, and either Alessandro Matri or Kingsley Coman are likely starters at the San Siro.

Juventus Expect XI (4-3-1-2): Buffon (GK); Padoin, Barzagli, Ogbonna, De Ceglie; Vidal; Marchisio, Sturaro; Pereyra; Matri, Llorente.

Head-to-head

The overall record between the two teams since it was first contested in 1909 includes 99 wins for Juventus, 69 for Internazionale, and 56 draws. In Serie A alone, this includes 86 wins for the Old Lady, 57 for Inter, and 48 draws.

Previous Meeting

A 1-1 draw was the final result between the two sides in Turin in January. Carlos Tevez opened the scoring within five minutes and Mauro Icardi equalised just after the hour mark.

The Nerazzurri turned in one of their most impressive displays of the season and Mancini will be hoping for something similar in a crucial match against the Old Lady.

This match is renowned for Pablo Osvaldo’s explosion at Icardi when he did not receive the ball in a good position at the edge of the box, with Icardi opting to shoot rather than pass to his team-mate. Osvaldo’s actions on the night prompted Inter to terminate his loan deal with Southampton.

Prediction 

Whilst the Bianconeri are on a high after advancing to the final of the Champions League, the team has nothing to play for in Serie A and its fringe players may not be up for the occasion at the San Siro.

Although Inter Milan is going into the game with momentum and purpose, the losses of Guarin and Hernanes will hit the team hard, and the players’ likely replacements, Shaqiri and Brozovic, have not performed up to standard so far this season.

With a tight battle in midfield and the two goalkeepers starring, 1-1 may be the outcome in the Derby D’Italia.

Inter Milan 1 Juventus 1

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