Juventus vs Inter Milan Coppa Italia preview
This season the Serie A title race is as good as over. With Napoli holding a 19-point lead over their nearest competitors and only 11 matches to go, other teams can only fight for the European competitions places or other trophies. And it is under these circumstances that Juventus will face Inter Milan in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
The powerhouse Juventus are having a dismal season by their standards. The Old Lady are seventh in the league after recovering their form, which saw them win four of their last five matches. Inter, meanwhile, are third on the table but are facing stiff competition from AC Milan, Atalanta, and AS Roma to be in the race for the Champions League spots.
On the other hand, Juventus have just started to recover from their dismal start to the season but will require a monumental effort and a lot of mistakes from their rivals to be anywhere near the top four places. This is why the Coppa Italia match against Inter assumes enormous significance, as it is one of the few positives for them this season.
Meanwhile, at San Siro, things could not be much better with the team among the top three in the league and are also in the quarter-final of the Champions League after 12 years. Under Simone Inzaghi, the Nerazzurri are having one of the best seasons in several competitions. Moreover, the re-signing of Romelu Lukaku (on loan for now) has united him with Lautaro Martinez. It was this partnership that had won Inter their Serie A league title in 2021. And while the partnership has not clicked yet, things are starting to look promising.
And with the Serie A title out of reach of both teams, the Coppa Italia will be a coveted trophy for both teams.
Juventus vs Inter Milan Coppa Italia team news
Until last month, Juventus’ injured players had missed a total of 180 games over the previous three years. This shows how the injuries have affected their campaign and have allowed their rivals to catch up to them and then surpass them. Currently, the Old Lady are without three-star players in defence, midfield and attack; Leonardo Bonucci, Federico Chiesa, and Paul Pogba. In addition, centre-forward Kaio Jorge is also out. Among these, the injury to Chiesa is the most recent, just after their recent match against Verone.
Inter are also struggling with injuries of their own, but with other players stepping up, the team has managed to get past tricky situations. Milan Skriniar, Federico Dimarco, and Hakan Calhanoglu are all out with injuries. In addition, left-back Dalbert is also not available. Coach Inzaghi had rested Lautoaro Martinez in Inter’s last match against Fiorentina, but he is sure to replace Joaquin Correa in the starting line-up.
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Key Players
There were big expectations from Dusan Vlahovic when he signed for Juventus last season. However, the Serbian, much like the entire team, had drastically underperformed. Despite that, the Serbian remains their best hope, and with the availability of Chiesa under doubt, Vlahovic will have to be at his best and get athletes a goal or two and help Juventusb establish a lead in the tie.
However, Inter Milan’s star striker is in fine form, with Lautaro Martinez being their top scorer in the league. The forward who won the World Cup in December with Argentina has been brilliant since then. The striker has scored seven goals since December, second only to the impressive Victor Oshimen. And the Argentine will play an essential part if Inter Milan are to get a favourable result that they can bring to their home stadium in the return leg.
Juventus vs Inter Milan predictions
With their season a disastrous one so far, the Coppa Italia represents a chance for Juventus to salvage something from their season. A victory in the cup competition could also be the perfect launchpad for the next season. The Old Lady also came up the better side when the two teams faced in San Siro just days back.
However, Inter Milan will seek revenge and raise their standard for the clash. However, with Juventus’ recent form and the home stadium support behind them, the Old Lady will nick it by a bare margin.
FootTheBall predicts a 2-1 win for Juventus.
