Francesco Acerbi has kept Erling Haaland, Romelu Lukaku, and Olivier Giroud quiet – and tonight, Dusan Vlahovic will be in his sights.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight the battle between defender and Number Nine in this evening’s Derby d’Italia clash.
Acerbi has firmly cemented his place at the heart of Inter’s back three since arriving in the summer of 2022.
The former Lazio and Sassuolo defender has found perhaps his best ever form in a Nerazzurri shirt.
And Acerbi has the merit of saving some of his best performances for the biggest stages.
That was certainly evident in the Champions League final last June. Manchester City may have eked out a win, but for Acerbi it was something of a personal victory.
City talisman Erling Haaland, perhaps Europe’s most lethal marksman at the moment, barely got a kick on the night.
Acerbi had done a similar job on players like Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos in the knockout rounds.
And in Serie A it has been a similar story. Acclaimed strikers such as Victor Osimhen and Ciro Immobile, among others, have rarely shone against the veteran defender.
Acerbi Aiming To Do Same Job On Vlahovic As On Haaland, Lukaku & Giroud
This season, Acerbi has saved two of his most impressive performances for matches against Roma and AC Milan.
The return of striker Romelu Lukaku to the San Siro with the Giallorossi had big expectations.
But from the Belgian it proved to be a damp squib. Despite his generally good goalscoring form since his summer soap opera ended up with him in the Italian capital, Lukaku was all but anonymous.
Similarly, Milan striker Giroud has been one of Serie A’s most dangerous attackers this season.
But the Frenchman largely watched the Milan Derby in September pass him by.
Acerbi was the common denominator in these two poor performance by two of the Italian top flight’s outstanding strikers.
And the 35-year-old will certainly aim for something similar against Vlahovic this evening.
The last time Inter and Juventus faced off, the Serb scored. But it was Stefan de Vrij who had lost him for the goal – Acerbi was filling in on the left of the defense in Alessandro Bastoni’s absence.
This time around, there’s no doubt that Acerbi will marshall the back three from his preferred central position.
And with Vlahovic having found some of his very best form in a Juventus shirt since the turn of the year, it will be yet another big test for the Italian international.
And the sense is very much that it is a test Acerbi won’t shy away from.