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Serie A giants Juventus return to league action when they take on third-placed Inter Milan in a high-stakes top of the table clash on Sunday, after being postponed last week over Coronavirus fears.
Juventus and Inter will meet for the 237th time in the famous Derby d’Italia, while it will be the 174th Serie A encounter between two of the most successful clubs in the history of the Italian top-flight.
In the wake of news that the new Coronavirus has spread to multiple places in Italy, five Serie A fixtures including this fiercely contested match were postponed last weekend. Now it has been made official that this fixture will be played behind closed doors on Sunday.
So, here are the things to look forward to as these two heavyweights clash at the Allianz Stadium in what could very well prove to be a title-deciding match.
Juventus vs Inter Milan Head-to-Head
It is seldom a dull affair when the Bianconeri and Nerazzurri lock horns with both the clubs fighting for more than just the three points at stake. The match has been played the most in the Italian league, level with Inter vs Roma.
In the 173 times, this match has taken place, the home side has triumphed on 83 occasions, while Inter could only manage to get the better of their fierce rivals 46 times.
In the battle of the coaches, Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte are set to face each other for the third time. So far, both have come out on top on one occasion.
Juventus form guide: LDWWL
Inter Milan form guide: WLLWW
Juventus vs Inter Milan Team News
Juventus team news: Juventus supporters were happy to see their captain and leader Giorgio Chiellini back on the pitch and starting for the first time since August after recovering from a cruciate knee injury in their 2-1 win over Spal in their previous fixture.
Youngster Merih Demiral is a long-term absentee after he sustained a similar cruciate ligament injury in the victory over Roma and after a successful operation is set to miss the rest of the season.
Winger Douglas Costa picked up a hamstring injury in their 2-1 Serie A defeat at Hellas Verona last month, can return to the squad, as he was given a timeline of 15-20 days of recovery.
Injuries: Merih Demiral
Doubtful: Douglas Costa
Inter Milan team news: There is some good news and some bad news for Antonio Conte heading into this blockbuster fixture. Inter captain and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is to make his long-awaited return to action in Inter’s upcoming Serie A clash against Juventus, after missing out on the previous six fixtures due to a hand injury.
The bad news is that he will be without the service of speedy wing-back Victor Moses, who sustained a muscle strain in his left thigh during training last week. Influential midfielder Stefano Sensi is also expected to sit out the fixture due to a persistent foot injury, though he may be back in training in the coming days.
Ghanian full-back Kwadwo Asamoah might be available for selection after recovering from a knee injury but Conte might not want to rush him into the squad just yet.
Injuries: Victor Moses, Stefano Sensi
Doubtful: Kwadwo Asamoah
Juventus vs Inter Milan Predicted XI
Juventus predicted XI: Wojciech Szczesny; Alex Sandro, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Danilo; Miralem Pjanic, Aaron Ramsey, Blaise Matuidi; Cristiano Ronaldo, Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala
Inter Milan predicted XI: Samir Handanovic; Diego Godin, Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij; Cristiano Biraghi, Christian Eriksen, Nico Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Ashley Young; Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez
Juventus vs Inter Milan Prediction
Inter are the team with the highest number of goals away from home (29) this season, while they also boast the best defensive record in the top-flight, conceding just 22 goals.
On paper, both the clubs look evenly matched, with Juve scoring 48 goals as opposed to Inter's 49 and the former also conceding 24 goals, just two more than Inter. Though it should be noted here that Inter still have a game in hand over the home side.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku, two of the top scorers in the league will be action tonight and with both of them in top form, we can expect at least one of them getting on the scoresheet.
Juve suffered a shock 1-0 defeat in their UEFA Champions League fixture against Lyon and will be looking to get back to winning ways. Inter will be out for revenge against the 1-2 loss at the San Siro earlier this season in this reverse fixture, but as the Old Lady has managed so many times this season, it is expected that they will emerge victorious, albeit with a slender margin to regain the top spot in the league standings.
Verdict: Juventus 2-1 Inter Milan
Also read: 3 memorable Juventus vs Inter Milan clashes of the 2010s decade
