Scent of the past for this “Derby d'Italia” number 218. It seems to have gone back at least 6 years, when Juventus were fighting for the Scudetto with Milan and Inter were scrambling to pursue their dreams and projects. After Calciopoli then, the roles were reversed, with the Nerazzurri capable of winning everything and the Bianconeri even remaining out of the European cups. This season however, things have changed and tonight at the Juventus Stadium (in his first Italian derby) an atypical clash will take place between the enemies of all time. Juve are playing the remaining hopes of the Scudetto, Inter above all the honor. Suffice it to say that the bookmakers quote a Juventus victory only 1,65 while an away success of the Nerazzurri is banked even 5 times the stake. On paper, therefore, there would seem to be no match, but certain challenges, as we know, can subvert the predictions at any time. That was the case last year, when Leonardo's Inter, in the midst of battling the Scudetto with Milan, was stopped by Gigi DelNeri's lame Juventus and now the Nerazzurri hope to return the favor with interest.
HERE JUVE
Yesterday in Vinovo there was an air of great occasions. Juventus are aware that they have an extraordinary opportunity to take revenge on their all-time rival, which in recent years has celebrated trophies after trophies, while in these parts they were grappling with a severe famine. Tale but he doesn't want the predictions on the eve, so favorable to his men, to deconcentrate the environment: “Our unbeaten position appeals to everyone, especially Inter. Let's not forget that at the beginning of the season they started under the odds, they have an important squad. Against champions you always have to be careful, they can always land you the knockout blow I don't see a resigned Inter who will come to Turin to play the sacrificial victim." He wants to keep the Juventus coach's attention high, also because tonight his team won't be able to afford any missteps. Milan's success over Roma in fact, he will force Juve to respond in the same way, otherwise the race for the Scudetto would be complicated in a perhaps irreversible way.
After last Tuesday's semi-final, there is a lot of curiosity to verify the physical strength of the black and whites. An aspect that, at least in words, does not worry Antonio Conte: “I gave myself a day off during the week because we spent a lot of extra time against Milan, physically but above all mentally. Having said that, it is better to face Inter immediately rather than a provincial one. A question of stimuli…”. As far as training is concerned, the Juventus coach doesn't have any major problems: disqualification of Lichtsteiner and the influence of Giaccarini aside, the others are all fine. including Barzagli, who will return to occupy his place in central defence. The Juventus Stadium has been sold out for days and will welcome its favorites with a thrilling choreography, in the wake of what was done against Milan last Tuesday.
HERE INTER
The tactic of pressure was Josè Mourinho's "thing". Maybe for this Claudio Ranieri, having now reached the end of his Nerazzurri experience (which at most will last until the end of the championship), he has decided to apply it for this Derby d'Italia. “I think that Juventus risks more because if they lose they see Milan move further and further away. I think they are also afraid that Inter will beat their unbeaten run in the new stadium. The ranking? This aspect is also more important to them. Will having nothing to lose help? I hope so, in the last few games we have been lighter...". In short, according to Ranieri, the pressure is all on Juve, while Inter have absolutely nothing to lose, a concept that would also be acceptable, were it not for the coach of one of the most important teams in the world speaking. That's why we are convinced that it is a tactic, also because if it were not so it would be very serious. The championship is still long enough to allow the Nerazzurri to fight for third place, or at least for a European placing, furthermore Moratti asked his team for a proud reaction.
Ranieri knows that winning in Turin will be very difficult, but he has a duty to try the feat: "We don't start favorites and I'm sorry, but it's a great race and we have to try to win it, as always. But it is not entirely true that we have nothing to lose: these challenges are always to be won. I would have preferred to be me in their place." For the Nerazzurri coach then, the match against Juventus has a particular charm, especially in Turin, where he spent two positive years, all in all, which ended however with a searing exemption. Since then Ranieri has been an ex with a poisoned tooth, who has already punished Juve in his own home (two victories at the helm of Roma) and who never spares poison barbs: "I took a team that came from Serie B without many champions who had won the Scudetto and now everything has changed, a new project is being built, the philosophy has changed, the budget has changed, because ours was tight... furthermore I had been excluded from corporate decisions, I might as well have ended the relationship". Ranieri didn't say it, but you could read it in his eyes: who knows what he would give to beat Juventus (again)...
POSSIBLE FORMATIONS
Juventus (4-3-3): Buffon; Caceres, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie; Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio; Pepe, Matri, Vucinic.
On the bench: Storari, Bonucci, Elia, Padoin, Quagliarella, Del Piero, Borriello.
Trainer: Antonio Conte.
Unavailable: Blazers.
Disqualified: Lichtsteiner (1).
Inter Milan (4-4-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Nagatomo; Zanetti, Poli, Stankovic, Obi; Milito, Forlan.
On the bench: Castellazzi, Ranocchia, Chivu, Faraoni, Cambiasso, Zarate, Pazzini.
Trainer: Claudio Ranieri.
Unavailable: Alvarez, Sneijder.
Disqualified: nobody.
Referee: Andrea De Marco (Chiavari) Assistants: Niccolai-Maggiani
Fourth official: Giannoccaro
