On Sunday, Juventus will host Roberto Mancini’s struggling Inter side in hopes of extending their lead at the top of the league.
Mid-way through the season, Inter were leading the table and Juventus were languishing in mid-table. Fast forward a few months and the situation has changed drastically. Today, both sides are chasing completely different objectives than they were just three months back. When Roberto Mancini’s side enter the Juventus Stadium on Sunday, they find themselves ten points behind the Italian champions barely clutching on to their Champions League dream. As a result, three points are of the utmost importance for them. The bianconeri, on the other hand, will need to claim the three points as Napoli are breathing down their necks. Fresh off a draining Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, Allegri’s men will need to be at their very best.
Form –
Juventus – WWWWWD
Last match-day Juventus’ 15-game winning streak came to a halt against an inspired Bologna side but Napoli were unable to capitalize. The Italian champions struggled to create anything of note in that game and arguably had their eye on the Bayern Munich duel. After being dominated by the Bavarians for the first hour of that game, Juventus kicked into a whole other gear and scored two goals to earn a crucial draw that will undoubtedly have them fired up for the Inter game. However, it will be interesting to see just how much energy they have left after that taxing clash. That said, Inter is a fierce rival beyond explanation which should serve as all the encouragement they’ll need.
Inter – DLWDLW
Inter’s form in their last six games is disappointingly symmetrical. Draw, loss, win. Draw, loss, win. For a team with Champions League aspirations, this is quite frankly not enough. Most recently, they dispatched of Vincenzo Montella’s relegation threatened Sampdoria easily by a score of 3-1. Before that, they fell to their direct Champions League rivals Fiorentina and drew a Hellas Verona side who have one win all season. If they are to have a shot for third, they will need to hit form starting with their next game against Juventus. Will it be easy? No, but it is absolutely crucial for their campaign.
Lineups –
Juventus (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Khedira, Hernanes, Pogba, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Mandzukic.
Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Murillo, Miranda, Juan Jesus; D’Ambrosio, Felipe Melo, Medel, Kondogbia, Telles; Icardi, Palacio.
Graphic provided via Gazzetta.it –
Tactical Battle –
Against Inter, Allegri is expected to return to the 3-5-2 as Giorgio Chiellini has reportedly fully recovered from his injury. In recent weeks, the former Milan tactician has gone with his hybrid 4-4-2/4-3-3 formation and has enjoyed success but he will now opt for the solidity of the three-man backline. The switch to this formation should ensure that Juventus maintain the lion’s share of possession while remaining defensively solid. In addition, it will allow Paul Pogba to return to a more central position where he can return to making late runs into the opposition’s box. As a result, expect a big performance from the Frenchman.
Inter will also line up with a 3-5-2 despite not previously using it this season. Mancini will resort to this formation with one clear goal in mind: Stifle Juventus. By mirroring their tactical setup, the bianconeri will find it increasingly difficult to exploit previous weaknesses in the nerazzurri’s system. That said, this is a risk by Mancini as if there’s one team in football that are familiar with the intricacies of this formation it is Juventus.
Key Matchup –
Key Battle: Miranda v Mandzukic –
On Sunday, the two former teammates will play a huge role in which way the result sways. Both Miranda and Mandzukic are two of the fiercest competitors in the league and will likely do anything to get the edge over the other. With Miranda playing at the heart of Inter’s back three and Mandzukic acting as Juventus’ deepest forward, the duo will go head-to-head on more than one occasion. If the Croatian forward is able to get the better of his former Atletico teammate, Samir Handanovic and co. may be in for a long night. However, if the Brazilian can shackle Mandzukic’s aerial threat and overall linkup play, Allegri’s men will find chances hard to come by.
Prediction –
When a struggling team go into the Juventus Stadium it’s difficult to imagine any other result but a Juventus win. That said, Mancini has proven in the past with Galatasaray and Inter that he’s able to prepare his men for a one-off game against the bianconeri adequately. With rumours swirling that he will opt for the 3-5-2, I expect this game to be an ‘ugly’ contest and end in a low-scoring draw.
Juventus-Inter (1-1)
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