Serie A league leaders Juventus host third-place team Inter Milan on Sunday night at the Allianz Arena. The two sides will meet in Turin at an empty stadium as fears over the coronavirus have led to officials declaring the game to be behind closed doors.
Juventus are six points above Inter Milan in the Serie a table but just one point above second-place Lazio. If the Bianconeri slip up on Sunday and Lazio win on Saturday, the capital club will have ahold of first place and possibly a first Scudetto in 20 years.
Pressure will be on both Juventus and Inter Milan as Lazio play over 24 hours before against Bologna. It is a game the Biancocelesti should win.
Juventus won their previous match against Inter Milan, 2-1, at the San Siro. Maurizio Sarri’s team are going into the weekend on the back of a loss, however. Juventus were defeated 1-0 by Lyon in the Champions League in midweek.
Inter Milan are coming off of a Europa League victory which could spur them onto a win this weekend. The Nerazzurri defeated Ludogrets in the Europa League last 32 to progress to the round of 16.
🌃 | A GOOD NIGHT'S WORKNow... all eyes on the big one on Sunday 👀#FORZAINTER FOREVER ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/TG4QnQCqLT— Inter (@Inter_en) February 27, 2020
🌃 | A GOOD NIGHT'S WORKNow... all eyes on the big one on Sunday 👀#FORZAINTER FOREVER ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/TG4QnQCqLT
Sarri has a few injury concerns heading into the game. Miralem Pjanic played in midweek following an injury but didn’t complete the full 90 minutes. He could be limited in minutes at the weekend. Gonzalo Higuain is also just back from an injury and played in midweek.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be expected to lead the Bianconeri past Inter Milan. He has scored 21 goals in 21 Serie A matches. Although he fired blanks against Lyon, Ronaldo has been a dominant force in Serie A.
Inter Milan got a huge injury boost this week. Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has returned to the team after a finger fracture. He should assume the starting goalkeeper position against Juventus.
Juventus are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions against Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri haven’t beaten Juventus since September 2016. Antonio Conte must lead his team to a win to have any chance of winning the Scudetto. A loss would most likely rule Inter Milan out of contention.
Sunday’s game should be a cagey affair in the beginning but Inter Milan’s need to win the game could open play up in the second half. Juventus are in the driver’s seat and the pressure is far less than what Inter Milan have on their shoulders.
Juventus should win with both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals going into the back of the net. The Bianconeri will take another step towards the Scudetto.