The “Derby d’Italia” will be more important for Juventus Turin than it may have been in years. The series champion has some catching up to do in Serie A this season under coach Andrea Pirlo despite increasing form. If there is one game less, they are seven points behind leader AC Milan. Upcoming opponents Inter Milan are four points away as the first pursuer of their city rivals.
Inter welcomes Juve on Sunday evening (8.45 p.m.) in San Siro. For the Turin people speaks that they have felt the last momentum. Four wins from the last five league games are currently recorded for Cristiano Ronaldo and Co., including a 3-1 against Milan. The successes did Pirlo well too. The former playmaker first has to prove himself as head coach. The 3-0 home defeat to Fiorentina shortly before Christmas raised doubts about his suitability for the job. In the new year, his team has acted strongly so far.
After all, Cristiano Ronaldo remains a constant. The 35-year-old Portuguese has 15 goals this season, although he was only on the field in 13 games. His counterpart at Inter is Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian has scored twelve goals in Serie A. After eight wins in a row, his “Nerazzurri” have recently only scored one point in the two games against Sampdoria and AS Roma.
For Inter, a home win on Sunday would be the end of a long dry spell. Since September 2016, the Milanese have lost five times in seven duels against Juventus and only got two draws. City rivals Milan are only in action on Monday. The regained “Rossoneri” then defend the championship lead at Cagliari.
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