Inter vs Juventus: The first Derby d’Italia gets underway
A high stakes clash is on the card when Inter and Juventus lock horns in the Derby d’Italia this Sunday. Both teams come into this match having enjoyed success in their respective midweek Champions League clashes. For the Nerazzurri, their 3-1 win over Eastern European outfit Sheriff, with goals coming from Edin Dzeko, Arturo Vidal, and Stefan de Vrij, will surely be a confidence-boosting ahead of this upcoming crunch clash. Inter now have four points from their first three Champions League games, and while they have some ground to make up to catch Real Madrid and surprise group leaders Sheriff, the result was exactly the tonic Simone Inzaghi needed after Inter’s loss last weekend.
Indeed, Inzaghi’s trip to face former side Lazio was nothing short of a disaster, as the reigning champions went from a goal up to lose that match 3-1. That marks Inter’s first loss of the season, and they find themselves seven points current league leaders Napoli. However, with Napoli facing a potentially tricky clash with Roma also on Sunday, anything can happen, and as such, Inter will be seeking maximum points when familiar and bitter foes Juventus arrive at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza for the first Derby d’Italia of the 2021/22 Serie A season.
However, Inter will be welcoming a Juventus side who have been in brilliant form lately. Despite their earlier seasonal struggles, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have truly turned a corner. So far, in the Champions League, they’ve won all three of their matches without conceding a goal, including a crucial 1-0 win over reigning UCL winners Chelsea. This sees Juventus in a pretty comfortable position to secure a round of 16 spot. Domestically, they have also put their earlier season woes firmly behind them, as La Vecchia Signora will come into this contest having won their last four matches on the spin.
Juventus will be eager to get revenge on the side that denied them a chance to win a tenth Scudetto last season, and more important, close the gap on the top four. As things stand, Juventus sit in seventh place, while Inter are in third. A victory, which would make it the fifth league win on the trot for Juventus, will see them pull level with Inter on points (17), and depending on how things go in the Roma-Napoli clash, potentially overtake the Giallorossi to sneak into fourth place by the time matchday nine is over.
Both teams also have pretty much a clean bill of health. For the visitors, they’ll only likely be missing Adrien Rabiot as the French midfielder has contracted COVID-19, as Paulo Dybala looks to have shaken off some muscular issues to make the trip. Christian Eriksen remains Inter’s only major long-term absentee, with the Danish star still having to battle his way back to full health following his collapse at EURO 2020.
It looks set to be a very cagey affair, as both teams will be eager for a positive result, but will not want to leave themselves too open and end up losing the match outright. Will Juventus make it a fifth straight win and start applying pressure on the top four? Or will Inter successfully use their crucial midweek Champions League win as a way to get back on track after last weekend’s loss?
