Italy Round 3

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Juventus vs Inter Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Juventus:
Di Gregorio; Gatti, Bremer, Kelly; Kalulu, Thuram, Locatelli, Mario; Koopmeiners, Yildiz; David

Inter:
Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Juventus and Inter are two biggest clubs in Serie A, so their mutual game is named as Derby d'Italia. The term was coined in 1967 by Italian sports journalist Gianni Brera. The teams are from the two biggest cities in Northern Italy. Both teams have fans across Italy, but also in Europe. The matches between Juventus and Inter are probably the most intense in Italy between two teams from different cities, historically since the 1950s and 60s, and particularly after the Calciopoli scandal which saw Juventus stripped of their league title from 2005–06 and given to Inter.

Juventus have opened the season in a perfect way, with two victories out of two and are yet to concede a goal in Serie A. But now they face their biggest test this weekend. The Old Lady first beat 1:0 Genoa thanks to Dusan Vlahovic, while the same striker took part in a 2:0 win over Parma in the second round. Jonathan David also found the back of the net, but young Kenan Yildiz should also be mentioned after assisting both goals. Coach Igor Tudor is surely satisfied with the results, but has some sweet problems in attack after the deadline day arrival of Lois Openda. There are some bad news for Tudor. Francisco Conceicao suffered an injury while on international duty with the Portuguese national team and returned to Turin. The early reports have confirmed that he is all-but certain to miss the clash against Inter. That's not all as Andrea Cambiaso continues to serve his three-match suspension for his red card against Parma on day 1.

The finish of the last season was catastrophic for Inter. While the fans were dreaming about "tripleta", the Nerazzurri collapsed in short period and finished the season empty handed. That culminated in the Champions League final where they suffered a humiliation losing 5:0 to PSG. Coach Simone Inzaghi was replaced by Cristian Chivu, but the start of the season was inconsistent. Inter suffered a 2:1 defeat to Udinese at Meazza, but showed much better display in the second round, winning 5:0 against Torino. Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram both bagged braces, while Alessandro Bastoni popped up with a goal of his own. Of course, the high victory means no need for changes, although the deadline-day acquisition Manuel Akanji may have his debut. The Swiss centre-back will surely bring stability in the defense. Summer signings Luiz Henrique, Andy Diouf and Ange Bonny are expected to start on the bench.

Juventus vs Inter Prediction:

I think both coaches, Tudor and Chivu could be satisfied with one point. Juventus won both opening games, but Genoa and Parma are class bellow Inter. The timing of this derby is also specific. Most of their players were on international duties, the big question is when they will return. Some of the South Americans will arrive one or two days before the start of the match. And there is more, the European competitions are starting next week. Considering these facts, I think nobody will be against sharing the points.

Juventus vs Inter Pick: Draw @ 2.95 with Everygame