Serie A Preview: Juventus vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Sunday’s Serie A action caps off at the Allianz Stadium with the 184th Serie A edition of the famous Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter. Expectations among fans and pundits alike are sky-high following a spectacular 4-4 draw in October’s reverse fixture.

Despite breaking the deadlock and establishing a two-goal cushion, Inter couldn’t see off the match at Giuseppe Meazza. Piotr Zielinski bagged the brace for the Nerazzurri, while Kenan Yildiz did the same for Juventus to help the Bianconeri snatch a point.

Fast forward a few months, and Thiago Motta’s men are pretty much in the same position they were in October. A high volume of draws under the former Bologna manager has effectively ruled Juventus out of contention for the Scudetto this season.

However, they’re still part of the top-four picture, trailing fourth-placed Lazio by three points ahead of the kick-off. Unlike their arch-rivals, reigning holders Inter are going toe-to-toe with table-topping Napoli. In fact, they could leapfrog Antonio Conte’s side at the summit with a win.

Inter enacted revenge on Fiorentina for a dismal 3-0 defeat on their last Serie A travel with a controversial 2-1 home victory on Monday. Marko Arnautovic scored the winning goal off the bench after replacing the injured Marcus Thuram midway through the first half.

With the Frenchman still not fully fit, Inter will need someone else to fill the role of Lautaro Martinez’s attacking partner in Turin.

Match Preview

Juventus

Spirits should be high around the Juventus camp following a late 2-1 home triumph against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League knockout playoff tie. Indeed, that was their third consecutive win in all competitions, with each seeing them concede precisely once.

Juventus’ mini-revival after a three-game winless run (D1, L2) has coincided with Randal Kolo Muani’s loan arrival from Paris Saint-Germain. The French forward scored on his Serie A debut as Napoli inflicted Juventus’ first league defeat under Motta.

Unfazed by an unwanted result in his maiden league appearance for Juventus, Kolo Muani has netted back-to-back doubles to inspire his new team to victories against Como and Empoli. As a result, the record-time champions head into proceedings on a first set of successive league wins since early November.

Making it three in a row would see Juventus win three top-flight home outings in succession for the first time this season.

Inter

Inter will be out to halt Juventus’ resurrection and defy their see-saw form in Serie A. Inzaghi’s charges have blown hot and cold across their last three league games (W1, D1, L1), largely thanks to slow entries. Indeed, they conceded first twice in that sequence.

Regardless of Inter’s minor slump, they remain a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by their incredible goalscoring record in Serie A this season. They’re the division’s most prolific side with 55 goals, which contrasts their recent scoring fortunes at the Allianz Stadium.

The 20-time Italian champions have failed to score more than once on ten of their last 11 league visits to Juventus, highlighting the size of the task awaiting them this evening. Their recent road form casts further doubt, with Inter emerging victorious from just one of their last four trips (D2, L1).

Scoring first could be a game-defining moment because 11 of Inter’s last 12 competitive away matches have seen both teams on the scoresheet.

Team News

Juventus are still without long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Pierre Kalulu. Andrea Cambiaso is also on the sidelines, with Douglas Luiz ruled out with a muscle problem. Winter signing Lloyd Kelly should be on the bench after missing training due to illness.

On the other hand, the injury list at Inter has significantly dwindled after Joaquin Correa, Federico Dimarco, and Francesco Acerbi returned to full fitness. Moreover, Denzel Dumfries is back from suspension. The only concern is Thuram. He’ll likely surrender his place in the starting XI to Mehdi Taremi.

Juventus vs Inter Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (4-1-4-1): Di Gregorio; Weah, Gatti, Veiga, Savona; Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Mbangula; Kolo Muani.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Taremi.

Juventus vs Inter Prediction

The reverse fixture was somewhat of an anomaly. Other recent Serie A meetings between Juventus and Inter have often been evenly-contested games. Given the significance of this encounter, we can envisage a low-scoring affair and probably another share of the spoils.