Italian journalist Mario Sconcerti believes that Inter’s Serie A clash with Juventus will be decisive for their Scudetto hopes and that they cannot afford to lose.

Speaking to Italian news outlet Calciomercato.com, Sconcerti identified the clash as a must-win fixture for the Nerazzurri, and one in which a loss would likely see their Serie A title chances ebb away.

Inter are in a delicate position in the Serie A table going into their match against the Bianconeri next weekend, knowing that they can hardly afford to lose any more ground to Napoli and AC Milan at the top.

Even with their game in hand, the Nerazzurri’s fate is no longer in their own hands, and anything other than a victory would look like a poor result from the standpoint of the Serie A title race.

A loss could be borderline catastrophic, however, given that it would see the Bianconeri at least temporarily go ahead of Inter, and would mean that the Nerazzurri would have a mountain to climb to come back over their remaining matches.

Asked whether he felt that the fixture would be decisive, Sconcerti stated that “It can’t directly sway Juve’s season, this seems clear to me, especially because even with a win Allegri’s team would still be a long way off, but for Inter, yes.”

“If Inter loses in Turin, they are out of the race,” he was clear. “Because then it would be very  difficult to recover. Inter can only afford one result on Sunday.”