The time has come. Juventus and Inter they will face each other for the first face-to-face match of the season, with the Scudetto dream in the background. In fact, both, despite superstitions and superficial declarations, know that they can play important cards, albeit starting from very different situations. The Derby d'Italia number 250 in history (the 208th in Serie A) becomes even more important after yesterday's results: the victories by Milan and Naples on Fiorentina and Atalanta, in fact, they shorten the ranking, increasing the competition in the top positions.
Juventus – Inter (20.45 pm, Dazn)
Prestigious evening at Stadium, Where Juventus and Inter they will return to compete for first place after a long time. From the post-Calciopoli onwards, in fact, the two eternal rivals alternated their respective winning cycles, without ever competing for the same objective. The only exception dates back to the 2019/20 season, but that match was completely disrupted by the outbreak of the pandemic, so much so that it was played behind closed doors after an unnerving series of postponements and controversies. Now, however, everything is ready to enjoy a real show, even if it is difficult to imagine a "good" match: the indications received so far suggest that Juve will wait and see, which could also affect Inter's performance. The numbers, moreover, do not lie and tell of two top defenses (6 goals conceded by the Nerazzurri, 7 by the Bianconeri) and two very different attacks: Inzaghi's team scored 29 goals, Allegri's only 19. Seen in this way the Inter would seem to be the favourites, but what happened last season should not be forgotten, when Max beat Simone both in the first leg and in the second leg, obviously with his weapons. In short, an uncertain prediction, just as befits a big match of this magnitude.
Allegri: “We're playing against the championship favourites, it will be a good test”
“We are playing against the championship favorite by their own admission, for us it will be a good test in our growth path – Allegri's thoughts -. We are living it in the best possible way, furthermore the championship race is not limited to Inter and Juventus: Milan and Napoli will fight, but we must continue to desire the same things, that is to win matches. How does the group live it? This is the Italian Derby, the players are ready to play. You need a good performance against a strong team and great games are won with details."
Inzaghi: “Match that counts a lot, but not decisive”
“It will be a great match, stimulating and in a full stadium, the top two in the class will compete, but we all know the meaning of Juve-Inter – underlined Inzaghi -. It matters a lot, but it's not a decisive match: it will certainly be important during the championship, but we're only a third of the way through. There have always been special matches against them, fortunately in recent years we have won a lot in the cups, while in the championship we have suffered two different defeats. In Turin, Inter played a great game without scoring, then lost concentration in the second half. As said, we will have to stay focused for the whole match."
Juventus – Inter, the lineups: Locatelli from the start, Bastoni out
The break was especially useful for Juventus, at least looking at the recoveries of Mckennie, Miretti and Locatelli, with the latter who could even start, provided that the good feelings from yesterday's last training session are confirmed. Inter, on the other hand, lost Bastoni, who joins Pavard: giving up two thirds of the starting defense is certainly not the best thing in life, but it must also be said that the Nerazzurri have the solution ready. Allegri will thus aim for a 3-5-2 with Szczesny in goal, Gatti, Bremer and Rugani in defence, Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot and Kostic in midfield, Chiesa and Vlahovic in attack, even if Kean maintains excellent hopes of playing. Same game system also for Inzaghi, who will respond with Sommer between the posts, Darmian, De Vrij and Acerbi in the defensive department, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan and Dimarco in the midfield, Thuram and Lautaro as an offensive pair.
Rome – Udinese (18pm, Dazn)
Important opportunity for Mourinho's Roma, which could rise to fifth place alone, overtaking Atalanta and Fiorentina and confirming itself just 3 points away from the Champions League zone. But first we have to beat Udinese regenerated by Cioffi's treatment, as demonstrated by the victory in Milan and the draw with Atalanta. The Friulian coach is looking for another excellent scalp, but the Giallorossi really can't go wrong: if they want to get back into the fight for the Champions League, in fact, they have to take advantage of these matches. It must also be said that Mou, after the shock start (one point in the first three days), found his feet by collecting 17 points in nine rounds, albeit leaving something to be desired from a gaming point of view. But the Special One, as we know, is totally focused on results, aware that only those determine success or failure. And so, after having fueled discussions about his future ("I don't know if I'll stay, with the Friedkins we only talk about the present"), he is ready to return to the field to win, also because the calendar will not give him respite: the defeat in Prague, in fact, it has also called the Europa League into question, at least at the level of first place in the group. Today, in short, Roma can only win, which makes the match decidedly exciting.
Mourinho: "We lack malice, this team is not a gang of bandits..."
“I don't look at the table to define the difficulty of a match, for me it's really difficult – explained Mourinho -. It's important to pay attention to their counterattacks, they have fast players who play with high intensity. Fortunately when we play at home we have the right mentality, but away we are lacking a bit. In the past I have had teams that were gangs of bandits, they enjoyed playing away games, but here there are people who like the comfort of home because they miss their mother or grandmother who makes them dessert: we have a bit of this problem here. I have had teams who provoked the fans from inside the bus because they wanted to get excited...".
Rome – Udinese, the lineups: Mou finds Pellegrini together with Dybala and Lukaku
The Special One can smile, because if it is true that Smalling is still in the pits and Renato Sanches has suffered yet another muscle injury (but will be on the bench), it is also true that Pellegrini is finally ready to take the field. The captain, absent since 5 October, will find his place in the Giallorossi 3-5-2 together with Dybala and Lukaku, thus composing a top-level trio, capable of competing for the noble areas of the table. Mou will focus on Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Llorente and Ndicka in defense, Karsdorp, Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini and Spinazzola in midfield, Dybala and Lukaku in attack. Cioffi will respond with the usual 3-5-1-1 with Silvestri between the posts, Kabasele, Bijol and Perez in the defensive department, Ebosele, Samardzic, Walace, Lovric and Zemura in midfield, Pereyra behind the lone striker Success.
Milan – Fiorentina 1-0, Pioli gets back up: “Now I hope for a draw between Juve and Inter”
In yesterday's previews, as mentioned at the beginning, the victories of Milan and Napoli arrived, decidedly important for the purposes of the ranking. The Rossoneri thus remain in third place thanks to a penalty from Theo Hernandez (45+2'), decisive in the 1-0 win over a very good Fiorentina, who only lacked the last shot to change the result. The Devil, on the other hand, made a virtue of necessity, thanks to the many absences (Leao and Giroud above all) and the importance of the moment, which increased the pressure and made the evening at San Siro more complex. It wasn't a brilliant Milan, but the match will go down in history all the same for the debut of Camarda, the youngest ever (15 years, 8 months, 15 days) to play in Serie A. Pioli gritted his teeth and got a very important victory, the first after four games of waiting: third place is safe, while for the rest we will have to wait for the result of Juventus-Inter. “We have to win as many games as possible to get closer to those in front of us, the best result would be a draw, but it only depends on what we do – the Rossoneri coach glossed over in the press conference -. We gave a fair performance, even if not the most brilliant in terms of pace and quality. The first half was good, then we showed progress from a mental point of view, not giving up. We had the last matches in mind, the comebacks suffered... But we worked as a team, did everything we had to: this victory will give us even more strength and even more confidence."
Atalanta – Napoli, Mazzarri starts strong: “First half almost perfect, then we dropped”
Very important victory also for Napoli, who conquered Bergamo and maintained fourth place, as well as a significant move closer to the top of the class. Mazzarri thus started in the best possible way, obtaining a delicate and weighty success, which legitimizes his position in the eyes of the group and relaunches the Azzurri also in terms of the Scudetto: this evening's Juventus-Inter will say something more, in the meantime, however, Napoli have done the his duty, winning the “Champions play-off” with Gasperini's Atalanta. Kvaratskhelia's goals at the end of the first half (44') and Elmas's at the end of the second (79') were decisive, after Lookman had found the momentary equalizer in the 53rd minute. A nice injection of confidence, no doubt about it, which helps us live the next matches with Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter with greater optimism. “A victory in this stadium and against this team will not be easy for anyone – Mazzarri's satisfied comment -. Based on how we played in the first half, I had the illusion that we wouldn't suffer in the second, but I'll have to review things carefully because then we dropped too much. I tried to touch on the importance of a team that wins the championship by a landslide, playing perhaps the best football in Europe. The others know that they are facing the Italian champions, we knew that it would be a more complicated year and I tried to work on these aspects, then we did something tactical and the boys immediately tried to listen to me".
Salernitana – Lazio 2-1, Sarri blurts out: “I'm worried, this situation is also my fault”
Bad step instead for Lazio, knocked out by Salernitana who are last in the standings. The Biancocelesti had to win to get back on top and take advantage of the direct clashes of the weekend, but instead they showed their weaknesses again, as often in the season. Furthermore, the final 2-1 came after a comeback, demonstrating a chronic fragility that not even Immobile's penalty (43') was able to correct. In the second half, in fact, here are the goals from Kastanos (55 ') and Candreva (66') to certify the Granata's turnaround, to the joy of Inzaghi (first victory in the championship) and the discouragement of Sarri, unable to reawaken the ancient ardor gods of him. “It's useless to justify yourself with absences or sensational refereeing errors, because Gyomber should have been sent off, in the end if we analyze the match we did too little – sighed the Biancoceleste coach -. Compared to last year we have lost some qualities, everyone must take their own responsibilities, me more than anyone. If the players don't perform like last season it's also my fault. If we enter the field after the break and stop playing and managing, it is clear that we risk losing. I'm worried about the mentality of a team that can't find itself, but the Champions League can work miracles."
