Inter Milan vs Juventus: Preview and Prediction

Inter vs Juventus
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 18 September 2016
Kick-Off: 17:00 UK,
Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milan).

The first edition of the Derby d’Italia this season will kick off with a beleaguered Inter welcoming a relatively confident Juventus to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday.

Both the Nerazzurri and the Bianconeri were in European action this week. And neither side will be happy with their results from matchday one. Inter stumbled to a shock 2-0 loss to an Israeli side many had fancied them to deal with relative ease. At least, Frank de Boer thought so as he opted to rotate his squad. Talismanic striker Mauro Icardi was left on the bench for most of the game as the Dutch tactician figured he wanted to keep his side fresh ahead of their big league game against Juventus.

Well, it backfired. Spectacularly. And now he may find himself out of a job, with Fabio Capello rumored to be the man to replace him if he loses to Juventus this weekend. Meanwhile, Juventus didn’t lose their game, but the Bianconeri will surely be ruing their missed chances against Sevilla. Settling for a scoreless draw is never the worst thing that could happen, but in a game that they could have picked up three points, they surely are wondering if those two points dropped will come back to haunt them at some point.

Fortunately for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, they are still unbeaten in the league. In fact, Juve are the only side with a 100 per cent win record after three rounds, but with Napoli just two points back, they obviously will want to make sure they make it four in four in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia tie. Allegri made some questionable selections, leaving Miralem Pjanic on the bench for most of the match and he surely will not do likewise for this game.

There will, however, likely be some rotations. Dani Alves and Patrice Evra could make way for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Alex Sandro. And Gonzalo Higuain, who had a frustrating evening, may be swapped out at some point for Mario Mandzukic. The only notable absentee for the visitors will be Claudio Marchisio, who is still working his way back to full fitness after a bad knee injury sustained last spring.

Inter Milan vs Juventus: Head-to-head statistics

• Inter have not beaten Juventus at home since April 2010, and have not won against the Bianconeri overall since November 2012.
• The Nerazzurri have not managed to keep a clean sheet in their past eight Serie A matches. The last one was in April 2016, when they beat Napoli 2-0.
• Juventus have won all but two out of their last 31 Serie A matches.
• La Vecchia Signora have scored at least two goals in eight out of their last 10 league fixtures.
• The Nerazzurri have lost just one out of their last 10 home Serie A games

Inter Milan vs Juventus: Prediction

Both teams will not be happy with their European results, but Juve by far are the more confident side heading into this fixture. Inter’s bad overall form, coupled with Juve’s historical head-to-head advantage, make it very hard to see how the Nerazzurri will be able to get anything out of this game.

Inter will definitely put up a good fight, no doubt about that. But La Vecchia Signora just are a step above all the other sides in Italy, and that includes Inter. Juventus have been winning at half-time and full-time in 11 out of their last 14 meetings, and the Bianconeri should be able to depart Milan with all three points in hand.

Inter vs Juventus: Betting tips

Juventus to win at 19/20 (1.95)
Half Time/Full Time – Juve at 21/10 (3.10)
Juve to win 2-0 at 7/1 (8.0).