Juventus-Inter, the duel is served. The Derby d'Italia number 231 (the 195th in Serie A) promises to give entertainment and fun, all with no holds barred. There are different objectives up for grabs, yet one gets the feeling that both start essentially on equal footing and that any scenario can come true. In short, a bit like in the first leg, when De Boer's ramshackle Inter got the better of Allegri's much more popular Juve, testifying that competitions like this do not know any kind of script already written.
“They have the staff to win the championship but luckily for us they got off to a bad start – thought the Juventus coach. – It will be a good match between two teams worthy of the name they bear but I don't want to hear about a rematch: there are 3 points up for grabs just like next Wednesday in Crotone”. True, it is undeniable though that the Derby d'Italia has a much different flavor than the other matches.
At Juve, the defeat in September didn't go down easily, which is why tonight we expect an even more angry performance than usual, in line with what has been done in recent weeks. The Stadium factor cannot be underestimated: if the Bianconeri come from 27 consecutive victories within friendly walls (in the league) there must be a reason… Juventus favorite in short, but much less than what the gap in the standings would suggest, which sees Inter 9 points behind with one more game.
As rightly pointed out by Allegri, in fact, the current scenario is the result of the first two months of the season, when De Boer sat on the Nerazzurri bench. With Pioli the music has definitely changed and never mind if the series of victories was interrupted on Tuesday with Lazio, in an evening that saw the Italian Cup fade away. Inter's real goal is third place and tonight, despite being only on the 23rd day, a good slice of it passes. Leaving Turin with a positive result (something that failed in Rome and Naples) would give an incredible boost, a misstep instead would reduce the Nerazzurri's path a bit, helped up to now by an all in all affordable calendar.
“I've never beaten Juve because I've never coached Inter – commented Pioli. – They are the strongest in Italy but we we can get them into trouble, provided you take the field with the right approach. It's a game that's worth a lot, we've prepared well and we're going to Turin to get results”.
The two coaches will compete with blows of 4-2-3-1 and it is above all the black and white one that arouses curiosity: after the victories with Lazio, Milan and Sassuolo, in fact, Allegri will have an even more probative test, a real dress rehearsal in view of the Champions League. The coach's big doubt concerns the midfield, where there are only two places compared to three "big shots" such as Khedira, Pjanic and Marchisio. The latest from Vinovo give the first two starters and Principino on the bench, along the lines of what has already been seen in the other games played with this system. For the rest, no uncertainty, therefore Buffon in goal, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini and Alex Sandro in defence, Cuadrado, Dybala and Mandzukic in the trocar behind the lone striker Higuain.
The same system also for Pioli who, however, compared to the last championship matches, has decided to change something: Brozovic will move to the attacking midfielder line, with Medel back in the midfield and the Joao Mario-Banega couple on the bench. The Nerazzurri 4-2-3-1 will see Handanovic between the posts, D'Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo and Ansaldi in the back, Gagliardini and Medel in midfield, Candreva, Brozovic and Perisic behind the only striker Icardi, today under special observation from the Argentine coach Bauza, present in the stands of the Stadium just for him (despite the constant criticisms of Maradona). In short, for one night, Italian football will once again be a great protagonist: the match will be broadcast in 197 countries (86 live) with an audience estimated at around 640 million viewers. Let's hope that Juventus and Inter don't disappoint them (us)…
