Juventus will hope to drive another dagger down Inter Milan FC’s chest when they take on each other in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday
A resurgent Juventus will welcome defending champions Inter Milan to the Allianz Stadium for their first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday.
In a repeat of last season’s show[piece event, both sides will be keen to redeem their seasons. Juventus have not just been hit by a 15-point penalty in Serie A but also crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stages. At this moment, the Coppa Italia represents their best shot at winning silverware this season.
The same goes for Inter Milan who have endured a difficult run of results this year. Consecutive defeats to Juventus and Fiorentina have more or less ended their Serie A title run and also put a top-four finish in question. The Coppa Italia also represents the Nerazzurri’s best shot at saving their season.
Both teams met each other just before the March international break. In a feisty encounter that saw both sets of players receive red cards, Juventus came away with a 1-0 win. Tempers are unlikely to have called since and yet another heated game appears to be in the offing.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men will go into the tie as favourites given the current form. In fact, Juventus have lost just once across all competitions since January and are arguably the in-form side in Italian football today.
Inter’ for their part, have held the upper hand over Juventus in recent years when it comes to securing trophies. They not only beat them to the Scudetto in 2021 but also got the better of that Bianconeri in last season’s Coppa Italia final and the Supercoppa Italiana.
Unlike Allegri, Simone Inzaghi could find his job under threat unless fortunes improve. Several high-profile teams have shown little patience with their managers and the Inter boss can not take his job for granted.
Much will be on the line for both teams on the night and it promises to be a heated encounter. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
🗣 La conferencia de prensa de Allegri antes del #JuveInter 👇 pic.twitter.com/wDJihzBgYb
— JuventusFC (@juventusfces) April 3, 2023
Allegri clearly had an eye on the semi-final on the weekend against Hellas Verona. The Italian tactician will welcome back several players and is in all likelihood set to field his strongest possible side.
He will be boosted by the return of midfield stalwarts Adrien Rabiot and Leandro Paredes. The duo were suspended for the game at the weekend and the rest will do them good ahead of the crunch clash. Filip Ksotic will also have recovered enough to feature from the start and the Serbian’s return will add much dynamism to the Juventus left wing.
Allegri won four straight Coppa Italia titles with Juventus during his first stint and will be keen to add a fifth to his tally. One of the most successful managers in the competition’s history, the Juventus man could add another feather to his cap.
Juventus will be without Alex Sandro and Leandro Bonucci who are still not completely fit. Daniele Rugani is set to return to the lineup with Federico Chiesa set to start from the bench. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba continues to be ruled out.
A 3-5-2 formation appears to be the way ahead with Wojciech Szczesny to start in goal. The Polish international will be the last line of defence, behind a back three of Rugani, Bremer and Gatti.
Mattia De Sciglio and Filip Kostic will act as the wing-backs with the trio of Manuel Locatelli, Leandro Paredes and Adrien Rabiot providing the inspiration in the middle of the park. Angel Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic should rekindle their partnership upfront with the former often dropping back to operate as the number 10.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczęsny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; De Sciglio, Paredes, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic
Inter Milan
The Nerazzurri have now suffered three straight Serie A losses on the bounce and have fallen away in the league standings. While the Cup does offer them a shot at redemption, cracks have started to appear in Inzaghi’s well-drilled outfit of late.
Milan Skriniar is still sidelined while Federico Dimarco’s` participation, at least from the start, is in doubt. Regardless of potentially risking being found out, Inzaghi is unlikely to deviate from his pet 3-5-2- formation on the night.
Andre Onana should start in goal behind the trio of Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni. Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens should provide the width, with the former in particular having his work cut out against Kostic.
Final prep for #JuventusInter ⏳#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/I9XvLcFaOh
— Inter (@Inter_en) April 3, 2023
Hakan Calhanoglu is also back in contention and could feature on the night alongside Nicolo Barella and Marcelo Brozovic in central midfield. The trio will be tasked with controlling the pace of the game as the Inter attack sniff out opportunities.
Romelu Lukaku failed to impress at the weekend and could make way for Edin Dzeko upfront. The veteran should partner World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez upfront for a side that has struggled to find the back of the net consistently.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Gosens; Martinez, Dzeko
Key Stats
- Either Inter Milan or Juventus have made it to the final of the Coppa Italia in 10 of the last 13 finals.
- Juventus have won the Coppa Italia the most times of any side in the competition’s history. The Bianconeri have won the cup 14 times, making it to the final on 21 different occasions.
- This is the third time in three seasons that both teams have faced off in the Coppa Italia. Juventus prevailed in the semifinals of 2020/21 while Inter Milan won last season’s final.
- Both teams have faced off on 34 occasions in the Coppa Italia, with Juventus winning 16 times. Inter Milan have come out on top 11 times, while seven games have ended in a draw.
Player to Watch
Angel Di Maria
The Argentine legend is a tour de force when it comes to crafting opportunities and should link the midfield to the attack well. Di Maria started off the bench against Hellas Verona and should have energy in reserve to make the playing XI on the night.
The Argentine’s movement should cause problems in the Inter Milan defence, even potentially catching the slower Acerbi out of position. This should open up space for Vlahovic to push forward and have a clear go at goal. More so, the 35-year-old despite his age has a burst of pace in him and can cause havoc if left unattended.
Prediction
Juventus 1-0 Inter Milan
The bad blood between both teams from the international break could spill over into yet another contest where no quarter is ceded. Juventus are the in-form side at the moment and will be keen to keep their excellent run going. Doubts will have started to creep into the Inter Milan roster of late and the team is far from firing all cylinders.
The onus is on Inter to take the game to their opponents. Should they allow Juventus to set the pace, all signs point to another hard-fought Bianconeri win.
