Juventus at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening in Serie A in the first Derby D’Italia of the season.
Roberto Mancini’s side have hit the ground running this season, as they sit just two points adrift of the top of the Serie A table. That said, the team have stuttered a bit off late with a loss and a draw in their last two Serie A games, including a heavy defeat to table topping Fiorentina.
Juventus, on the other hand, are languishing in 12th place in Serie A on eight points but a win on Sunday could see them move into the top half of the table.
The Bianconeri fans are, however, a bit more optimistic than they were a few weeks ago as their team have won two games on a trot in all competitions with victories over Sevilla and Bologna respectively.
The Nerazzurri, despite putting up a commendable defensive display on a consistent basis, have been criticized for the lack of goals. This is pretty evident in the fact that Mancini’s side have scored one goal less than Juventus, with just eight goals far this season in Serie A.
Last season two Argentinians scored as Juve drew 1-1 against Inter at the Juventus Stadium with Mauro Icardi cancelling out an early Carlos Tevez strike. At the San Siro meanwhile the Bianconeri won 2-1 thanks to a late Alvaro Morata effort.
A worry for Mancini will be Felipe Melo, who is a doubt for the clash due to a muscular trouble. Dodo and Danilo D’Ambrosio are still out due to injury.
Meanwhile, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri will be raring to unleash the in-form Alvaro Morata, who has three goals so far this season in all competitions, especially against a team who have conceded five times, four in one game, in their previous two Serie A fixtures.
That said, the Old Lady will yet again be without the services of centre-forward Mario Mandzukic and Stephan Lichtsteiner due to injury. Morata and Paul Pogba were both injured on international duty but are expected to be fit for the game at the San Siro. Juve have also received a huge boost in the form of Claudio Marchisio who is likely to return to the starting lineup.
Form Guide: Inter (L-D-L-W-W) Juventus (W-W-L-D-W)
Expected Staring XIs
Inter: Handanovic; Juan Jesus, Miranda, Murillo, Santon; Melo, Medel, Guarin; Perisic, Jovetic, Icardi.
Juventus: Buffon; Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli; Evra, Pogba, Marchisio, Khedira, Cuadrado; Dybala, Morata.
Infographics provided by www.sporticos.com
