Sunday’s Serie A action closes out with one of the most highly anticipated fixtures on the seasonal schedule as Juventus and Inter go head-to-head at the Allianz Stadium. Widely regarded as one of the fiercest football rivalries on the planet, the famous Derby d’Italia is readying for its 178th installment in Serie A.
Since being held to a 1-1 draw to cross-town rivals Torino in mid-February, Juventus have reeled off four successive Serie A victories to reignite their Scudetto bid. Even though Massimiliano Allegri has ruled his side out of the Serie A title race, a seven-point deficit on table-topping Milan gives the Bianconeri an outside chance to regain the crown.
Despite going through a rough patch, defending champions Inter still aim at back-to-back titles for the first time since 2009/10. Simone Inzaghi’s men have drawn three of their last four Serie A matches (W1), including a 1-1 stalemate at home to Fiorentina on the stroke of March’s international break.
Match Preview
Juventus
Except for a disastrous 3-0 defeat to Villarreal in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, Juventus have turned the Allianz Stadium into a fortress following a troublesome start to the season.
Since losing 1-0 to Atalanta in late November, Allegri’s men have gone unbeaten in their last eight Serie A home games (W6, D2). Each of Juve’s six wins during that sequence was accompanied by a clean sheet, with five yielding the identical 2-0 scoreline. Indeed, Juventus have recorded a league-high 13 shutouts in Serie A this season.
Furthermore, Juventus have gone unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 home meetings with Inter, all competitions included (W10, D4). In Serie A alone, the Bianconeri have registered three consecutive H2H wins in Turin by an aggregate score of 6-2, with both goals conceded arriving in last season’s 3-2 triumph.
Inter
Inter have experienced a noticeable drop-off this calendar year. Inzaghi’s men have picked up only two wins from their last nine Serie A fixtures (D5, L2). They have amassed just 11 points from that nine-game run, ten fewer than Juventus, who look to be in much better shape to win another derby.
Adding to this sentiment, Inter have claimed just two wins from their last 13 competitive encounters against Juventus (D4, L7), whilst their last Serie A victory in Turin dates back to 2012. After drawing four straight Serie A away matches in the build-up to this game, the Nerazzurri could make it five in a row in the competition for the first time since 2004.
However, Inzaghi’s men have proved they do not lack character this season, having earned a league-high 19 points from trailing positions thus far. In fact, Inter have gone unbeaten in all five away league matches when conceding first (W3, D2). With Juventus scoring the opener in 73% of their Serie A home games this term, the reigning champions may need to demonstrate their bounce-back ability once again.
Juventus vs Inter Team News
Long-term absentees Federico Chiesa, Weston McKennie and Kaio Jorge will have to remain on the sidelines. Yet, the standout forward Dusan Vlahovic will return to the fold after Serbia allowed him to sit out the international break due to injury.
It’s now up to Allegri whether he wants to start Inter-linked Paulo Dybala instead of in-form Spaniard Alvaro Morata, who has grown increasingly vital for Juventus in the second half of the season. Denis Zakaria has training after a month-long layoff and could stake a claim for his place in the midfield.
Marcelo Brozovic faces a race against time to recover in time for Sunday’s trip to Turin. Meanwhile, Stefan de Vrij is the only definite absentee in the Inter camp after Lautaro Martinez passed fit to feature following his battle against Covid-19.
Juventus Potential Starting XI (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Matthijs de Ligt, Giorgio Chiellini, Mattia de Sciglio; Juan Cuadrado, Denis Zakaria, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot; Alvaro Morata, Dusan Vlahovic.
Inter Potential Starting XI (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Arturo Vidal, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ivan Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.