San Siro will be experiencing the prospect of being overcrowded this weekend when champions Inter Milan welcome Juventus in the latest iteration of the Derby d’Italia. Both Juve and Inter are considered two of the most successful clubs in the land and thus, the match includes all the elements of being a mouth-watering encounter.
As opposed to the Bianconeri’s topsy-turvy start to the domestic campaign, Inter Milan have garnered 17 points from just eight games so far. Thanks to that, the Nerazzurri sit third in the Serie A points table. However, Simone Inzaghi’s men endured their first league defeat last weekend at the hands of Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio, succumbing to a 3-1 thrashing.
On the other hand, Juventus have enjoyed a fine run of form, having won all of their last six matches in all competitions. With the Old Lady standing seventh in the points table, only three points are keeping the two teams apart.
Juventus would love to continue their unbeaten run that could extend to nine matches across all competitions with a victory on Sunday. However, Inzaghi’s Inter will be a tough nut to crack. Yet, they’re certainly beatable.
Considering that, here are three keys that could help Bianconeri prevail in the Derby d’Italia.
3. Defensive collectiveness provides more strength
The 1-0 victory against Torino earlier this month ensured Juventus’ first clean sheet after 20 matches in Serie A. And since keeping that one clean sheet, the Juve defence is yet to concede. It is not that Juventus have played a plethora of games between now and the narrow triumph in Derby della Mole. But still, the defence has moderately become more fearless and enduring over the last few weeks.
Whether it be the pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini or the one consisting of Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt, the defence looks firm and ready to encounter the challenges posed by the Inter side on Sunday evening. It is thought that the game against Chelsea played an integral role in raising the confidence of the Juve defenders.
The defensive efforts put into application by Bonucci and De Ligt were gigantic. It was not at least a child’s play to resist the European champions from rattling the net. The same mojo got reflected in their defensive displays against Torino, Roma and Zenit lately.
There might be no “LuLa” to bother the Juve defence this time around. But if reports coming out of Milan are believed to be true, it will be the tandem of Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez to lead the line for Inter. Apart from keeping a close eye on their movements, the defensive line will have to be careful of the crosses coming from the wide areas.
It is never going to be an easy night for the Bianconeri defenders. But Bonucci and De Ligt, despite being only 22 years of age, have been there and defended against the most ferocious strikers in the world. It would be surprising not to expect something similar of them this weekend. As such, keeping the clean sheet should be Juve’s one of the main keys to torment Inter in their own backyard.