Juventus-Inter is a match valid for the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals and is played on Tuesday at 21:00: likely formations, predictions, TV and streaming.
There are those who consider it an early final, given that on the other side of the scoreboard the last act at the Olimpico will be contested by two outsiders like Cremonese and Fiorentina.
Juventus v Inter has become a classic in the Coppa Italia: last year’s final in the Roman stadium was won by the Nerazzurri at the end of an intense and pyrotechnic match, with Simone Inzaghi’s team – a real specialist when it comes to national cups – triumphing 4-2 but only after extra time. Today, the Bianconeri are dreaming of a rematch, but this time, unlike a year ago, it will be played in a return leg. And for the first time in the history of the competition without the away goals rule, as has been the case in Europe since last season. Massimiliano Allegri, another who, like Inzaghi, has certainly won few Italian Cups in his career, knows how important it is to be able to lift at least one trophy in a season marked by the now well-known corporate and judicial vicissitudes, the main consequence of which has been the upheaval in the standings, with Juventus penalised by 15 points due to the capital gains case.
Waiting to understand what the outcome of the appeal to the Collegio di garanzia del Coni will be, the Lady is no longer missing a beat: since February, she has won almost all of them, with the exception of the draw in the Europa League against Nantes and the defeat against Roma in the championship. On Saturday came the fifth consecutive success – 1-0 against Verona, Kean’s goal – which brought Juve back to within six points of fourth place.
Inzaghi risks big
The Bianconeri, in short, believe more than ever. And having already beaten Inter twice in the league, they are aiming to oust them from the Coppa Italia, twisting the knife in the wound
Inzaghi and Allegri
The Nerazzurri have come off worst in both direct clashes: in November, Juventus prevailed 2-0 at the Stadium; a fortnight ago, however, they hit the jackpot at the San Siro thanks to a goal from Kostic, which sparked a tidal wave of controversy due to an alleged touch by Rabiot at the start of the action. Defeat that contributed to fuel the discontent in the Inter house, which lost again after the break for the national teams against Fiorentina (0-1). With the Viola came the fourth knockout in the last five days of Serie A, and it is impressive to see how the number of defeats of the Nerazzurri in the league has already reached double figures when there are 10 rounds to go. Inzaghi is now in danger of dropping out of the top four as well, and his bench is no longer as solid as it was a few months ago. The cup double-header with Juventus could be decisive, as well as the Champions League quarter-final with Portuguese side Benfica.
Juve ahead in cup precedents
The cup history, meanwhile, says Juventus: 15 wins for the Bianconeri, eight draws, 11 wins for the Nerazzurri.
The memory of the final lost last year is still fresh, but it is also true that Juve have always gone through when they met their bitter rivals in the semi-finals. Allegri will make several changes compared to the match against Verona: Di Maria and Vlahovic return up front, while Chiesa will go on the bench. Gatti will get a chance in defence, with Rabiot returning after being suspended. There are also many changes to Inter’s starting eleven: at the back, with Acerbi and Bastoni, there will be Darmian, while Inzaghi will play former Empoli player Asllani, with Bellanova who could move to the right wing in place of Dumfries. In attack, alongside Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko has the advantage in the duel with Lukaku.
The Prediction
In the previous two games of the season we have witnessed matches poor in goals, in which Inter have never managed to pierce the Bianconeri defence. We expect a similar script, also because it’s not easy to trouble Allegri’s rearguard, especially at the Stadium, which has returned to being a fortress. It will in any case be a very tense and largely contracted match: yellow cards could flow after the tense stories of the last confrontation, at least five in total are expected. Inter will be aiming to avoid defeat ahead of the return leg, and this time they could succeed, bearing in mind that another negative result would risk irreversibly complicating Inzaghi’s already weak position.
The Juventus-Inter likely line-up
- JUVENTUS (3-5-2): Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Vlahovic.
- INTER (3-5-2): Handanovic; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Bellanova, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
