Juventus will be desperate for all three points when they welcome Inter Milan to the Allianz Stadium for the Derby d’Italia on Saturday.
The top four race in the 2020/21 Serie A season is more alive than it has been in recent years at any time. The marquee fixture this weekend will be played at the Allianz Stadium, where Juventus will play hosts to Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia, with the hosts desperately looking for all three points.
Juventus have struggled to make a major impact under the tutelage of Andrea Pirlo, who is learning the tricks of the trade on the job. As a result, it is hardly surprising that the Bianconeri have failed to mount a successful defence of their crown, surrendering it to Inter Milan rather meekly. In fact, Juventus are currently 5th on the table, running out of chances to clinch a top four finish.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, have been imperious for the most part this season and they have especially been relentless since the turn of the year. The Nerazzurri have won more points (55 points) than any other side in Serie A in 2021. Therefore, it goes without saying that Antonio Conte’s men deserved their place atop the competition, having sealed their title last week.
The reverse fixture, played at San Siro back in January, saw Inter Milan record a 2-0 win, with Nicolo Barella and former Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal on target. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
? @Pirlo_official: "@federicochiesa is getting better and better, I think he will be available for tomorrow evening."#JuveInter #ForzaJuve
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 14, 2021
Andrea Pirlo might not be greeting the best of results at times lately, but on the team news front, it is only good news for the Juventus manager. Indeed, Pirlo has a full-strength squad at his disposal ahead of the visit of Inter Milan.
Pirlo’s team selection will, therefore, be interesting, particularly in attack, where Cristiano Ronaldo could have Paulo Dybala as his partner, with Alvaro Morata and Dejan Kulusevski missing out. As ever, Federico Chiesa will hold the key for Juventus from the left flank, with the Italian forward providing the creative impetus from the wide areas.
On the right-wing, Juan Cuadrado is a certainty, and the Colombian will send in quality crosses, with Ronaldo being the target. In the middle of the park, though, the onus will be on Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot to keep a check on Nicolo Barella and provide Juventus the control in the game.
At the back, Alex Sandro and Danilo are expected to be the two full-backs, with Wojciech Szczesny taking his place in goal. At the heart of the Juventus defence, meanwhile, there is no looking past Matthijs de Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini, who should pip Leonardo Bonucci and Merih Demiral to the spots.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Chiellini, Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa; Dybala, Ronaldo
Inter Milan
Unlike his counterpart in the Juventus dugout, Antonio Conte is missing a couple of first-team players due to injuries, although neither star’s absence poses much of a concern. On Saturday, the Inter Milan manager will have to make do without Arturo Vidal and Aleksandar Kolarov.
Amid Vidal’s absence, the likes of Stefano Sensi and Matias Vecino are getting a chance to impress, and on Saturday, Sensi should get the nod to line up alongside Nicolo Barella and Marcelo Brozovic in the middle of the park, with Sensi and Barella providing the creative impetus.
The strike partnership ought to be formed by Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, with Alexis Sanchez dropping to the bench despite a couple of decent displays lately. Meanwhile, Achraf Hakimi and Ivan Perisic are likely to be the two wing-backs, with the duo providing the width high up the pitch.
The defensive line should see the return of the regulars, with Conte expected to name his strongest side in this game. Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni will, therefore, form the three-man central defensive unit, with Samir Handanovic set to be stationed between the sticks.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Sensi, Perisic; Lukaku, Martinez
Key Stats
- Saturday’s game will be the 176th meeting between Juventus and Inter Milan in Serie A and the 88th time the two teams will have faced each other in Turin. The Bianconeri have won 60 of the 87 league fixtures in Piedmont, with the Nerazzurri having eleven victories to their name (D1).
- Inter Milan are yet to be beaten in the second half of the season. The Nerazzurri’s last loss came away to Sampdoria on 6 January. However, the Nerazzurri have failed to score in their last five away games against Juventus in Serie A.
- Inter Milan currently have the third-best attack in Serie A; the Nerazzurri have scored 82 goals, with only Atalanta (86) and Napoli (83) having done better. Antonio Conte’s men do have the best defence in the division, however: they have conceded 31, four fewer than Juventus.
- Juventus have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 13 games in all competitions; the Bianconeri last suffered a longer such run back in 1955 (21-match run).
- Inter Milan and Juventus are the two sides that have scored the most number of headed goals in Serie A this season (14 and 13, respectively). The Nerazzurri have also conceded the fewest headed goals in the league this season (just three, the same as Spezia).
Player to Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo
He might be set to clinch the Capocannoniere this season, but Cristiano Ronaldo now needs to step up further in order to score the goals when they matter the most. With Juventus fighting for a place in the top four, the veteran forward has to take it upon himself to deliver the goods and get the required three points. Will Ronaldo make a definitive impact against Inter Milan?
Prediction
Juventus 1-1 Inter Milan
This is a game in which all three results are possible. After all, Inter Milan have been imperious in 2021 and might not be beaten easily. Juventus, with their star power, could potentially beat their visitors, although it is unlikely, considering the solidity of the three centre-backs. With that in mind, a score draw could be on the cards, which is exactly what we are predicting here.