Inter take on bitter rivals and Serie A champions Juventus at the San Siro in the Derby D’Italia (Derby of Italy) tomorrow, Saturday 16 May (kick off 18:00 CET).
Inter come into this game after beating Lazio in a controversial match 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico last weekend thanks to a brace from Hernanes, and in doing so they have extended their current unbeaten run to 7 matches.
Inter’s recent form has seen them climb to 8th place in the Serie A table, 2 points behind 6th placed Sampdoria and 3 points from 5th placed Fiorentina in the fight for a Europa League place.
Juventus come into this game after a memorable week which seen the Turin club qualify for the Champions League final to face Barcelona, at the expense of European champions Real Madrid.
In Serie A, Juventus were confirmed as champions two weeks ago and are currently 16 points clear of 2nd placed Roma.
Juventus will also play in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday 20 May against Lazio in phase 2 of a possible treble.
Here is the Inter team news and probable line ups as reported by GDS:
The main news for Inter is in the midfield positions as Fredy Guarin’s hamstring injury picked up against Lazio has ruled the Colombian out for the rest of the season. Also missing is the hero of the win against Lazio, Hernanes, who serves a one match suspension for an accumulation of bookings.
There will be no change in goal as Samir Handanovic starts.
The defence is also expected to stay the same with Danilo D’Ambrosio on the right and Juan Jesus on the left with a central partnership of captain Andrea Ranocchia and Nemanja Vidic.
In midfield with Fredy Guarin’s season over, Marcelo Brozovic is expected to partner Gary Medel and Mateo Kovacic although it won’t be a surprise if Assane Gnoukouri starts.
In the trequartista role Hernanes is suspended so it could be a big chance for Xherdan Shaqiri to impress Roberto Mancini.
Up front the tried and tested partnership of Rodrigo Palacio and Mauro Icardi start.
Probable Inter line up (subject to change): (4-3-1-2) Handanovic, D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia (c), Vidic, Juan Jesus, Brozovic, Medel, Kovacic, Shaqiri, Icardi, Palacio.
Bench: Carrizo, Berni, Andreolli, Santon, Felipe, Nagatomo, Di Marco, Kuzmanovic, Obi, Gnoukouri, Podolski, Puscas, Bonazzoli.
Some Stats:
In the reverse fixture between the sides this season, the score finished 1-1 with Carlos Tevez scoring before Mauro Icardi grabbed the equaliser at the Juventus Stadium.
In the last match at San Siro between the sides on 14 September 2013 the score also finished 1-1 with goals from Icardi and Vidal.
Inter’s last win against Juventus came at the Juventus Stadium on 3 November 2012, when 2 goals from Diego Milito and a goal from Rodrigo Palacio sealed a 3-1 win. Since then Juventus have beaten Inter twice and there has been the afore mentioned two draws.
The last time Inter won at home against Juventus was 5 seasons ago on 16 April 2010 where Maicon’s wonder goal sealed a 2-0 victory for the Nerazzurri.
Juventus striker Carlos Tevez leads the capo-cannoniere goal scoring charts with 20 goals. Mauro Icardi sits in 3rd place on 18 goals with veteran Verona striker Luca Toni in 2nd place with 19 goals.
Juventus have lost only 3 games in Serie A so far this season. All 3 defeats have came away from home against Torino, Parma and Genoa.
Player to Watch: Mauro Icardi – Icardi had a rare off day last weekend at Lazio and will want to bounce back with a goal against a team that he usually scores against.
My Prediction: Inter 1-0 Juventus
Scorer: Icardi
Officials: Referee: Daniele Doveri Assistants: Cariolato, Marzaloni
Fourth Official: Di Liberatore Additional Assistants: Valeri, Calvarese
Author’s Note: Juventus will be playing only for pride in this game as they have already won the Serie A title. For Inter this is a very important game regarding their Europa League hopes. After Juventus played in Madrid in midweek they will rotate their squad ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final against Lazio. It won’t be an easy game against a supposedly weakened Juventus and I expect it will be tight but I believe we can win this. Forza Inter!
