Two of Italy's best go head-to-head at the Allianz stadium in a clash key to both sides' aspirations. Juventus need to get a positive result to enhance their top 4 aspirations while Inter Milan seek to make a winning statement to reignite their faltering Scudetto pursuit.
These two sides combine for an account for 55 Scudetti making this tie one which the players and fans would hate to lose.
Match Preview:
After a bad start to the Serie A campaign, Juventus have rallied to put themselves comfortably back into the top 4 and are now unbeaten since the turn of the year, winning 7 of their 11 games so far.
The Old Lady's most recent game saw them thump Salernitana by 2 goals to none with first-half goals from Paulo Dybala and January arrival Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian international is proving to be a shrewd signing for Juventus with 5 goals and an assist in his 11 appearances for the club so far.
Due to their recent impressive form, the Turin-based club find themselves only 7 points behind league leaders AC Milan with 8 league games to go and would be looking to mount a late challenge for the Scudetto and a win against rivals Inter would go a long way in spurring that.
In recent times, this fixture hasn't been the easiest for Juve, having only been able to beat Inter twice in their last 5 meetings, however, they now face Inter in their best shape since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and would be looking to move forward from their recent Champions league knockout defeat vs Villareal and continuing their good form against Inter is the way to go.
Looking forward, Juventus still have another route to possible silverware this season with a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg meeting with Fiorentina scheduled for the 24th of April in a tie in which they lead 1-0.
Earlier in the season, Inter Milan looked poised to win their 2nd Scudetto in as many seasons but having won only 1 of their last league games, find themselves 6 points off league leaders AC Milan having played a game less.
The Nerazzuri have coped well since the departure of star coach and player Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku with their replacements Simone Inzaghi and Edin Dzeko performing admirably to maintain the lofty standards set last season. However, they have been unable to go the distance in Europe falling to English giants Liverpool in the round of 16.
In their most recent Serie A outing, Inter recorded a 1-1 draw at home to 8th placed Fiorentina which was their second 1-1 result in as many games. Despite their recent shortcomings Inter would remain hopeful of claiming the Scudetto this season, as they're just 6 points off 1st place AC Milan with a game in hand and a win at the Allianz Stadium would help fuel that dream.
Their recent meetings with Juventus have been far from one-sided but the Nerazzuri have recently claimed a big scalp over their rivals, recording a 2-1 win over Juventus in the Italian Super Cup in January thanks to an Alexis Sanchez extra-time winner. This meeting may however not be the last time they face the Bianconeri with the possibility of a Coppa Italia final showdown in May.
Team News:
Dusan Vlahovic is fit and available for selection. Juan Cuardrado and Alex Sandro have also recently recovered from their injuries. Denis Zakaria has returned to training but is a doubt for the weekend. Luca Pellegrini would miss this game due to a suspension while Federico Chiesa, Weston McKennie and youngster Kaio Jorge remain long-term absentees.
The Nerrazzuri have a full-strength squad as Marcelo Brozovic and Stefan De Vrij both trained separate from the rest of the squad but are expected to rejoin the group and star striker Lautaro Martinez has now recovered from Covid-19 and is available.
Possible Starting Lineup:
Sczeseny, Sandro, De Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo, Bentancur, Locatelli, Rabiot, Dybala, Morata, Vlahovic
Handanovic, De Vrij, Bastoni, Skriniar, Dumfries, Perisic, Brozovic, Barella, Calhanoglu, Martinez, Dzeko
Prediction:
Inter Milan have to get the 3 points to stay alive in the title race and Juventus know that they can enter that conversation with a statement win at home so this is a high stakes encounter. This will surely be a hard-fought game with both sides possessing enough quality in their ranks to decide the match, but Juve just have a little extra, at the moment, to get one over their rivals.
Juventus 2-1 Inter Milan.
