First title up for grabs. Time to assign the Supercoppa Italiana has finally arrived, with Inter and Juventus ready to battle to grab it (21pm). It will be a gala evening that of San Siro, as well as highly symbolic: from next weekend, in fact, the limitations on the number of spectators will come into force, which today will be 36, the maximum allowed given the 50% capacity. The setting will therefore be important, in perfect harmony with a match that promises to be very interesting, just like any self-respecting Derby d'Italia. This then puts a trophy up for grabs, and if it is true that the Super Cup is certainly not the first objective of the season, it is also that nobody wants to lose it, especially if they are facing the quintessential sporting enemy.
On paper Inter are favourites and not just because he will play at home: the first half of the season, in fact, made it clear that the nerazzurri are superior to the bianconeri, even though one-off matches easily lend themselves to surprises. “There are no favorites in these matches – he confirmed Inzaghi – We meet a healthy team, which comes from eight consecutive useful results. On Sunday in Rome they did something extraordinary, overturning an incredible game: they have great experience and are used to playing in the finals. But we are in an excellent moment and we will play it, we know that there will be difficulties and that we will have to be good at getting out of them. Everyone says we're favourites? This shouldn't scare us, on the contrary it should be a stimulus”.
“We play against the strongest team in the championship, but in one match we can win – he replied Allegri – It will be a beautiful game, but the result must not affect our path, whatever it is. Balance must reign here at Juventus, we'll only really be great when we manage not to be influenced by events. Can Inter open a cycle? I don't know, we'll have to be good at putting a spoke in their wheels: now we need to try to catch up with those in front, then next year we'll see if we've managed to shorten the time to get back into the fight for the Scudetto”.
The purse, therefore, leans towards the nerazzurri, also due to the absences with which the bianconeri will have to deal. Indeed, for an Inter that recovers Calhanoglu and can thus play with the typical formation, there is a Juve that has to do without the disqualified Cuadrado and De Ligt, but above all of Federico Chiesa, whose injury (anterior cruciate ligament injury, at least 6 months off) will deprive Allegri and Mancini of a key man until the end of the season. The coach from Livorno also has the Szczesny problem, stopped by the new anti-Covid protocol: in fact, from 10 January, only athletes in possession of the enhanced green pass can play and he, having undergone the first dose of vaccine two days ago, will only have a few hours before the match.
Inzaghi, on the other hand, can count on all pink and thus choose the best possible 3-5-2 with Handanovic in goal, Skriniar, De Vrij and Bastoni in defense, Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu and Perisic in midfield, Dzeko and Lautaro in attack. Allegri will respond with a 4-3-3 that will see Perin in goal, De Sciglio, Rugani, Chiellini and Pellegrini in the back, McKennie, Arthur and Locatelli in the midfield, Dybala, Morata and Bernardeschi in the offensive trident.
