The entire galaxy will come to a halt on Sunday night as the Serie A’s eternal battle between good and evil is upon us again as represented by the Nerazzurri rebels against the evil Juventus empire at the empire’s now not so new Deathstar Stadium. Tonight at 20:45 CET.
Led by new Jedi master Obi Wan Pioli, the rebels travel north to seek their eighth league win in a row. Pioli will hope that The Force of his Stormtrooper slayer Mauro Skywalker will prove on point again and that the young leader can find the way to break down the Juventus defences along with his top assist makers Ivan Solo and Antonio Calrissian.
Darth Allegri has a fully fit squad that’s on form to pick from, and all eyes will be on both sides’ starting eleven to see whether they both line-up in their preferred 4-2-3-1 formations or whether either leader will try and outwit the other by opting for a change in the recent norm. While Allegri has been known for his love for consistency, it is not being the realm of the plausible to imagine Pioli tinkering with a back three to both fortify defences and stretch out play along the width of the pitch.
In a battle that can have far reaching implications on how the entire league pans out, this will be a true test of both sides’ mettle and mental resilience. May the force be with us. Forza Inter.
Team News
Reports in the Italian press show Pioli possibly opting for a midfield duo of Roberto Gagliardini and Gary Medel instead of Geoffrety Kondogbia as a more defensive solution, however, with no suspensions and injuries to contend with, Pioli will be free to pick by form and fitness rather than be forced by circumstance.
Probable Inter line-up (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; Ansaldi, Miranda, Murillo, D’Ambrosio; Kondogbia, Gagliardini; Candreva, Joao Mario, Perisic, Icardi (C).
Stats
Last Season: Juventus 2 – 0 Inter
Last 10 Head to Head: in the last ten Serie A encounters Inter have only beaten the Juventus twice, while Juve have managed to take Inter’s scalp five times.
Player to Watch:
Mauro Icardi: despite not finding the back of his opponents’ nets in the last 3 league games, Icardi has been pivotal in his non-scoring contributions; dropping deep, linking up play and assisting. None of that will mean very much for the Argentinean hitman come Sunday night where he’ll come up against not only his team’s arch rivals, but his personal own favoured target as well. Look out for Icardi putting in maximum effort to add to his seven goal tally against the Bianconeri.
Officials
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli
Assistants: Di Fiore, Manganelli
Fourth Official: Barbirti
Additional Assistants: Orsati, Mazzoleni
Prediction & Authors Note
Prediction & scorers: Juventus 1-1 Inter with Icardi scoring.
Author’s Note: Although a single point here will be a more than respectable result, an upset by Inter can be monumental in how the season pans out. Not only will it provide the Nerazzurri with additional morale boosting power, but it will drag Juventus back into a title fight with Roma. Expect both sides to lay it all out in trying to take away all three points.