Inter V Juventus: Derby d’Italia Preview

Week 13 in Serie A brings forth one of the most anticipated fixtures in Italian football—the Derby d’Italia. The rivalry between Inter and Juventus is old and traditional but it has grown more fierce in recent years fired by the aftermaths of Calciopoli.

Juventus are only three points adrift of leaders Inter ahead of Saturday night’s fixture and it looks to be a promising game as both sides lock horns at the mighty Guiseppe Meazza.

Inter haven’t beaten Juventus on home soil since 2004 and last season’s corresponding fixture ended with a surprising 2-1 win for the Old Lady of Turin, any chance of a repeat?

INTER

Last week’s showdown by Ibrahimovic showed yet again the dependency on which Inter have on their creative force. Both goals were crackers and the latter clocked at a notable 124km/h, leaving no chance for Fontana in the Palermo goal.

The forward also picked up the Swedish Golden Ball on Monday for the third time in his career—making the forward historic, being the first Swedish player to achieve the feat.

Inter’s home-record at the Guiseppe Meazza this season reads narrow and unspectacular wins by the odd goal, with the exception being the goalless draw against Genoa. The spectacular wins have all come on away trips.

After several games in the recent past with multiple conceded goals and last minute winners, the Nerazzuri have now collected two consecutive wins with clean sheets.

Scrutinized for their laborious style of play lately, Mourinho’s squad still holds immense depth and dimension—something that could be fundamental in their quest for another league title and their bid for the Champions League.

Rivas and Chivu are sidelined with injuries while Cordoba will be sitting out his ban. Quaresma was given time off during the Palermo game due to poor form and the Portuguese winger is highly unlikely to feature in this weekend’s high profile clash.

Adriano missed out on the action during the weekend due to the flu and is unlikely to be handed a starting shirt. Cruz on the other hand is in fine form and not to mention, notorious for netting against the Old Lady. Can he put one away against Juventus once more?

Mourinho has hinted for a change in formation to take on Ranieri’s 4-4-2 system with a 4-1-3-2 of his own. A win for the Nerazzuri would increase the gap to third-place Juventus and keep their city rivals AC Milan at bay. 

Keep an eye on: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Sweden international has a reputation of being anonymous in big games and is facing an in-form Chiellini. Whether or not Ibrahimovic gives a notable performance against his old team-mates remain to be seen.

Probable XI: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Burdisso, Samuel, Maxwell; Cambiasso; Vieira, Muntari, Zanetti; Ibrahimovic, Cruz

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