CdS insists only three Juventus players are good enough for Inter Milan starting XI | OneFootball

A report in the Italian media argues that a combined Derby d’Italia Starting XI would feature eight Inter players and only three from Juventus.

The two arch-rivals are preparing to lock horns on Saturday in their second and final meeting of the season (unless they end up crossing paths in the Champions League).

The Bianconeri prevailed in a surreal seven-goal back-and-forth battle at the Allianz Stadium in September. However, they suffered an early-season collapse afterwards, which culminated in Igor Tudor’s sacking.

Only Three Juventus stars capable of breaking into Inter Starting XI?

While Luciano Spalletti has thus far succeeded in steering the team back in the right direction, Juventus remain 12 points adrift from Inter, who are confidently marching towards their 21st Scudetto title.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport journalist Fabrizio Patania, the Nerazzurri’s advantage over the Bianconeri stems from their superior starting lineup.

The columnist insists that only three Juventus players would be able to break into Cristian Chivu’s starting lineup.

Gleison Bremer and Francisco Conceicao (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

The first would be Gleison Bremer, joining Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni in what would be a dream defensive trio.

The second is Khephren Thuram, who would join Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu in the middle of the park.

The source argues that, despite their solid performances this term, Weston McKennie and Manuel Locatelli are no match for the aforementioned Inter midfield duo.

Kenan Yildiz would still find room at Inter

Finally, Kenan Yildiz would certainly carve out a place in Inter’s attack, albeit his introduction would require a tactical tweak, as it would be difficult to fit him alongside Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez in a 3-5-2 formation.

Despite showing ageing signs this season, Yann Sommer was still picked ahead of Michele Di Gregorio, while Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco were the obvious choices for the wingback roles.

Finally, the source admits that Pierre Kalulu has been superb this season, but he misses out on a spot. However, the Frenchman would have been selected had the journalist opted for a four-man backline.