There will be many important head-to-head clashes in tomorrow’s Serie A clash between Inter and Juventus, but one of the most significant will be between Nicolo Barella and Manuel Locatelli.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who highlight the importance of the two young Italian internationals to their teams in central midfield.
Barella and Locatelli have each earned places in Azzurri head coach Roberto Mancini’s thinking with their performances at club level, including major roles for each as the team won the Euros this summer.
As The Gazzetta points out, the pair do not always feature in midfield, with Jorginho and Marco Verratti also key man and Lorenzo Pellegrini also starting matches regularly.
However, when the two are on the pitch for any amount of time, the newspaper points out, the Azzurri have won eleven matches out of fourteen, losing only the recent Nations League semi-final against Spain.
Locatelli joined Juventus from Sassuolo over the summer, meaning that while the duo may play a complementary role in the national team, they are now representing major rivals at club level.
Tomorrow’s Serie A clash will see them go head to head to try and get the better of a midfield battle on opposite sides of one of the league’s biggest rivalries.
