Inter Milan vs Juventus | Sunday 04 February | San Siro (Milan) | 21:45
Serie A will come to a standstill when two if Italy’s heavyweights cross the white lines for what looks to be a title decider. With so much riding on this highly anticipated fixture, it sure does leave you wondering who will walk away with not only bragging rights, but more importantly, the much needed three points.
Inter Milan are leading Seria A in first place by a single point but have work to do as title rivals Juventus have got the better of them in the last twenty meetings – Juve have won (9), drew (6), and Milan have won (5).
To win (90 min)
Inter Milan 17/20
Draw 24/10
Juventus 33/10
Inter Milan
Inter Milan travelled to Florence previously to face Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on Sunday evening. Milan new the importance of this fixture and went on the attack from the first whistle. They missed a few big chances leading up to the goal, but it was captain and leading goal scorer of Serie A, Lautaro Martinez, who got on the end of Kristjan Asllani’s corner kick and with a fine near post header put the Nerazzurri ahead in the 14th minute.
Fiorentina rallied back and got themselves into the game putting pressure on Milan but for their significant efforts, was not enough and had to settle for a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan in the end.
Milan took their place back at the top of the table and with the victory against Fiorentina last time out, the Nerazzurri are currently unbeaten in the last five fixtures, with three consecutive victories from the last three outings. They have scored 11 goals and have conceded three across these last five fixtures. The mindset and expansive football Simone Inzaghi instilled in this exceptional team has put them in pole position to lift the Scudetto this season.
The San Siro has been a scary place to visit this campaign and Milan have picked up 25 out of the 30 points available with eight victories, one draw and one loss. They not just winning but have also been free scoring with resolute defending. They have scored 25 goals and conceded six making them formidable on their own turf. Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Kristjan Asllani, Alessandro Bastoni, and Yann Sommer will be called upon to put in a massive performance on the day for Inzaghi as they look to put title rivals Juventus to the sword and more importantly claim maximum points to open the gap between them at the top of the table.
Juventus
Juventus were left to share the spoils in their previous fixture after they were held by relegation threatened Empoli to a 1-1 stalemate. It was not the start Massimiliano Allegri had hoped for after the Bianconeri received a red card in the 18th minute. The referee turned to VAR to overturn Arkadiusz Milik’s yellow card to a red which left the Bianconeri with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Despite the man down, Juve stuck to their guns and still played on the attack but in the end a point was enough for either side.
Juventus trail in second place by one point and come into this fixture with similar form to rivals Inter Milan. Before the draw with Empoli, Juventus had been on a run of four consecutive victories. They have scored 10 goals and conceded two across these last five fixtures, with three clean sheets to go with it. It looks and feels like Juventus have found the love for the game again and look enroute to lift a record 37th Serie A title.
Juventus away from home have been somewhat remarkable, picking up 26 out of 33 points on the road thus far with eight victories, two draws and a single loss. Three consecutive away victories will not only drive the Bianconeri but will also give them a huge boost of confidence as they look to edge their title rivals and take top spot. Red hot Dusan Vlahovic will be the go-to man as he has been in hot scoring form of late, Federico Chiesa, Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli, and captain Alex Sandro will need to show up and prove they have what it takes to stop Inter Milan and take one stop closer to lifting this years Scudetto.
Prediction: Inter Milan
It’s first verse second and the rate these two clubs are going it feels like the Scudetto is riding on the outcome of this fixture for either team. It will come down to fine margins in getting a winner, but I see Inter Milan just edging Juventus to take the much-needed three points on the day.
Written by Marc Strydom