Juventus hold a slim edge over Inter Milan heading into the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg. The Bianconeri came from behind in the first leg at San Siro to win 2-1.
Lautaro Martinez put the home side ahead in the ninth minute, but a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the 26th minute levelled the scoreline. Ronaldo struck again nine minutes later to give Juventus the win.
The first leg was evenly matched with Juventus just shading the possession 52% to 48%. Inter Milan outshot the Bianconeri 11-10. Tuesday night’s match should be just as close as the first leg as just 90 minutes separate one of these sides from the Coppa Italia Final.
Antonio Conte will be without midfielder Arturo Vidal for the fixture due to suspension. Roberto Gagliardini is likely to take Vidal’s place. Conte will have the duo of Romelu Lukaku and Archraf Hakimi back after they missed the first leg due to their own suspensions. Both players should start.
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo may be without Paulo Dybala who is suffering from a knee injury. The Argentine is due back at some point this month. Meanwhile, Franco Israel is a doubt due to a head injury.
The Old Lady are on a five-match winning streak in all competitions. At the weekend, they won a massive six-point fixture in Serie A versus Roma, 2-0.
Inter Milan are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches in all competitions. The only loss during that run came against Juventus in the Coppa Italia. The Nerazzurri are playing well and coming off of a 2-0 win over Fiorentina in the league.
Juventus and Inter Milan have met twice already this season. The Nerazzurri took the spoils in the first match of the campaign in Serie A, 2-0. Juventus repaid the favour in the cup last week, 2-1.
Inter Milan have tallied 62 goals in all competitions for an average of 2.07 per game. There are goals in this team to overturn the 2-1 deficit they face. Having Lukaku back to partner Martinez will make a massive difference to the side.
Juventus have tallied 63 goals in all matches for an average of 2.10 per game. Their defence concedes just 0.83 goals a match. The Bianconeri should keep Lukaku and company at bay on Tuesday night, just like in the first leg.
Inter Milan could come out all guns blazing, but in the end, Juventus should get through to the final of the Coppa Italia. Tuesday night’s match could finish in a score draw. If Juventus need goals, it could be Ronaldo popping up once more.