MY ACCOUNT
Massimiliano Allegri will expect Juventus to take the “anger” of their Champions League failure on Inter when they do battle in the Derby d’Italia on Sunday.
A 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday made it five defeats from six Group H games for Juve, but they will move into the Europa League after finishing in third place.
Allegri stated he expects his players to use the fury of falling short in the Champions League as fuel for the remainder of the season, and a victory at the Allianz Stadium would move them above Inter.
The sixth-placed Nerazzurri, who head into the weekend two points better off than Juve, had already qualified for the Champions League before they were beaten 2-0 at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Stats Perform picks out the standout Opta data to preview a showdown between two heavyweights of Italian football in Turin.
An upturn in Serie A fortunes for Juve
While Juve suffered another European loss in midweek, they have won three consecutive Serie A games without conceding a goal.
The last time they had four clean sheets in a row in the competition was in December 2018, when they won six matches in a row without conceding.
Allegri was also boosted by the return of long-term absentee Federico Chiesa from a knee injury as a substitute against PSG, a timely lift after it was revealed Paul Pogba will miss the World Cup. It remains to seen when Pogba will return.
Inter eyeing Derby d’Italia repeat
The Nerazzurri had won four consecutive games and gone seven without defeat before they came unstuck at Bayern.
Inter won three and drew one of four meetings between these two sides last season, beating the Bianconeri 1-0 away from home in Serie A in April.
They could win two Serie A meetings in a row against Juve for the first time since Alberto Zaccheroni was in charge in 2003-04, while the last time they won two such games in a single calendar year was back in 1987.
Juve building on strong foundations, youngsters doing their bit
While Juve have not started the season in the manner they would have liked, they have an excellent defensive record in Serie A.
In the top 10 European leagues this season, only Barcelona (four goals in 12 matches) and Benfica (five in 11) have conceded fewer goals than the seven Juve have shipped in 12 matches in the Italian top flight.
They also have the most players born since 2000 to be involved in at least one goal in Serie A this season with a total of five, with Dusan Vlahovic (seven), Moise Kean (one), Nicolo Fagioli (one), Fabio Miretti (one) and Samuel Iling-Junior (one) making their mark.
Inzaghi the scourge of Bianconeri
Inter’s Simone Inzaghi has beaten Juventus seven times in 18 meetings in his coaching career, drawing twice.
He has defeated the Bianconeri more times than any other coach since he took his first job in April 2016.
Inzaghi could become the second Inter coach to win two Serie A away matches against Juventus, after Helenio Herrera (three, between 1961 and 1965).
