Three keys for an Inter Milan upset against Juventus this weekend

Three keys for an Inter Milan upset against Juventus this weekend

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Juventus are heavy favourites going into the latest installment of the derby D’Italia, however, Inter could be capable of the unexpected if they play to their strengths and exploit the Bianconeri’s weaknesses.

A vitally important weekend of Serie A fixtures where four of the top five face each other in the league takes place in round 27.

Massimilliano Allegri;s side entertains the Nerazzurri in Turin as they look to further distance themselves at the top of the table from Napoli, who travel to Florence a day later with the aim of ending their winless run in all competitions and keeping the pressure on the reigning champions.

Inter, in contrast, are looking to return to the Champions League places in Serie A and toppling the Bianconeri is a major obstacle in their path, as the aforementioned Viola hope to ward off Roberto Mancini’s side, as well as AS Roma, from breaking back into the top three.

It means the stakes are raised for this highly anticipated match at the Juventus Stadium, and the coming 90 minutes may prove to be defining in either, or perhaps both, of the sides’ seasons.

Juve, on a run in the league that has seen them win 15 of their last 16 matches, will be expected to dispatch their Milanese opponents with ease after Inter have found themselves in a spot of bother following a hot start to the season. There are many factors, however, that come into play ahead of this fixture which could help turn the tide either way.

One of these, for instance, includes the Bianconeri’s involvement in the Champions League against Bayern Munich during the week, which will have undoubtedly drained the side, while conversely Mancini’s charges have had all week to prepare for the upcoming clash. Inter also go into the derby with little to no injury issues, while Juventus are expected to be without talismanic centre-back Giorgio Chiellini.

If there was ever a time to face the Italian champions, aside from the start of the season, it is now, and Inter Milan do stand a chance of knocking down the Turin giants if they implement these three features into their play.


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Limit Dybala’s influence in attack

Without doubt the standout player for Juve so far in 2015-16, the Argentine has amassed a total of 21 goalscoring involvements in the league (13 goals and eight assists), the highest in Serie A alongside Lorenzo Insigne of Napoli.

Much of the production that occurs in Juve’s final third goes through the former Palermo man, who not only drops deep to receive and create, but also makes runs in behind and gets on the end of goalscoring opportunities. He scores as well as provides, and Inter must limit Dybala’s influence on the game and time on the ball in attack in order to ensure Allegri’s side does not produce many chances.

The 22-year-old can leave his imprint on games even when he is not playing his best, as was the case against Bayern in midweek, and Inter Milan’s central defensive pairing of João Miranda and Jeison Murillo will have to perform at the peak of their abilities all throughout the 90 minutes when closing down the space Dybala operates in.

If Inter can control the influence Dybala has on the game, they may well just keep a clean sheet and focus more on their production at the other end of the pitch.

Take the game to Juve/control the midfield

Once again reffering to the Champions League game that occurred midweek in Turin, Juventus were unable to get out of their own half in the opening 45 minutes and rarely had time on the ball against a dominant Bayern side. Allegri’s men looked uncomfortable playing on the back foot, as they failed to push forward and make much ground on their opponents.

If Inter Milan were to apply a similar principle in this match it would certainly make things interesting. When comparing the two midfields likely to start on the weekend, Juve easily win out in terms of quality, however, Mancini also boast talent capable of controlling the game, with the side currently holding one of the highest possession averages per 90 minutes in the league.

If the perfect blend of muscle and creativity was utilised against the Old Lady, the Nerazzurri might be able to combat the likes of Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio and control the tempo of the game while creating chances of their own for Mauro Icardi, arguably the most clinical finisher in Serie A.

Shutdown Juve’s right-wing

It is unclear as to who will start at left-back for Inter Milan in the coming match, with Alex Telles returning from suspension and Danilo D’Ambrosio performing extremely well against Sampdoria in the previous round. Whoever does feature here from the get go, however, will have quite a task on their hands in not only attempting to contain the pace, trickery and guile of Juan Cuadrado, but also dealing with the hard running and industry of Stephan Lichtsteiner from right-back.

Much of Juve’s production has come down the right side this season, while Inter themselves have not looked too assured in the fullback positions in recent times. With Cuadrado enjoying a consistent run in the first-team this month the Colombian has looked menacing, tormenting left-backs and providing plenty of service for the two up front.

For Inter Milan to stand a chance of gaining anything from this fixture, locking down the right wing at the Juventus Stadium is a priority, or else they risk being exposed.

While the Nerazzurri are highly unlikely to come out of Turin with anything at all, the chance of snapping Juve’s unbeaten run in the league that dates back to October last year is there, provided they perform exceptionally well on the night and Allegri’s side puts in a below par performance.

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