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Juventus face Inter Milan on Friday in a vital Serie A match in Turin. Juve are the current league leaders with 40 points from 14 matches, and Inter are in 3rd position with 29 points from the same number of matches. Juve are hot favourites to win the Serie A yet again, but If Inter is able to cause an upset on Friday, the tables could very well turn.
Juve are in very good form, and have also topped their group in the Champions League. Inter on the other hand, are struggling to qualify from their group, and might find it difficult to make it to the knock-out rounds. Juve continue to dominate Italian football with one of the strongest squads in the world, but Inter are definitely no pushovers and should fancy their chances against their arch-rivals.
An Inter win would mean that they move to 32 points, with Juve remaining at 40. This would also boost their morale and make them genuine title-contenders. A Juve win on the other hand, would virtually pave the way for yet another Serie A title for them. It should be an absorbing match, with Juve starting as the favourites.
We take a look at the 3 crucial factors which might determine the fate of Friday’s match.
#1 The co-ordination between the Juve forwards
Juventus have an exceptional midfield and attack, with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, and Juan Cuadrado. Ronaldo has mostly started on the left wing for Juve this season, and frequently cuts into the penalty box from the left flank.
Mandzukic plays as the lone striker, and Dybala is usually just behind him. Cuadrado plays at a withdrawn position on the right wing, and presses the opposition defenders intensely.
The Juve forwards also have exceptional co-ordination between themselves, and create scoring opportunities for each other. They exchange passes in and around the opposition penalty box, and sometimes make off-the-ball runs to take the marker away and create shooting space for one another.
Ronaldo and Dybala have scored 11 and 6 goals respectively this season, and would fancy their chances of scoring more against a relatively inexperienced Inter defence. Marcelo Brozovic, the defensive midfielder of Inter, would also have his task cut-out as he would have to shield their defence.
All stats via transfermarkt
#2 Inter stretching the Juve defence wide
Inter should try to stretch the Juventus defence wide as Juve usually prefer to defend in a compact way. Both Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the Juve centre-backs, are exceptional defenders within their own penalty box.
Inter would have to drag them out of their comfort zone with frequent overlaps of the full backs. Their right-back, Sime Vrsaljko, is known for his overlapping runs and crossing abilities, and would have to demonstrate his abilities on Friday.
Moreover, Joao Cancelo, the Juve left-back, has a tendency to go into frequent overlaps himself, and therefore the space left behind him can be exploited by Vrsaljko and Matteo Politano.
If Inter can stretch the Juve defence, they might create holes in it and find a way of scoring goals. However, their wingers and fullbacks would have to perform exceptionally well for that. Juventus right-back, Mattia de Sciglio, however does not go into overlaps frequently and plays as a 3rd centre back at times.
#3 Mauro Icardi’s performance against the Juve defence
Inter’s Icardi is one of the most prolific strikers in the world, and has already scored 11 goals in 16 matches this season. However, he would be up against a Juve defence that has conceded only 8 goals in 14 matches in the Serie A so far, and it should be the ultimate test for him.
Icardi is a very opportunistic striker with quick movements inside the penalty box, and might even end up winning a penalty for his side with his quick dodges.
He is strong in the air too, but so are Juve’s centre-backs, and it would not be easy for him to score from a header. Still, Inter would have to play balls into the Juve penalty box to give him a chance of scoring with a header or a volley.
Juve usually do not play a high line, therefore the possibility of scoring against them from a through pass is also very less. Still, Inter would depend upon Icardi a lot to break the strong Juventus defence.
