Derby d’Italia: Inter Milan vs. Juventus Preview, Odds, Prediction

Derby d’Italia, or the matchup between Inter Milan and Juventus, is one of the biggest in Europe. Sunday’s game will be the 242nd official clash between the two former continental champions and the one that might have a significant impact on this Serie A campaign. Inter isn’t very convincing over the past few weeks, while on the other side, Juve’s performances have dramatically improved after a poor start. Yet, a loss or a win in this event can change all that.

Preview

Inter Milan (+105) defeated Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League this Tuesday, 3-1, ending the miraculous run the Moldovan champs had. This was the sixth time in the past seven games that Inter both scored and conceded goals.

It is something quite regular this year, and so far, Nerrazzuri’s offense has managed to cover up the defense’s mistake most of the time. Simone Inzaghi likes to play aggressive and offensive, which often exposes the backline.

When looking at the home games, Inter conceded in the past four. Four of the last five were with over 3.5 goals, and with Inter netting at least twice. It is a clear indicator that their biggest weapon is still the fantastic attack, even though they had a switch at the head coaching position.

Juventus (+240) shifted into a higher gear in the past month, winning six straight events, and keeping a clean sheet in the previous four. It seems that Chiellini and Bonucci needed time off following an exhausting but victorious campaign with Italy at the recent EURO.

Now with them back in the business, the Old Lady is rock solid in front of its goal. As for the offense, we need to say that Juve does its job ok for now, even though they have four 1-0 wins in a row.

Allegri found a perfect formula and apparently perfected it during the international break. His team showed signs of life even before the pause, but the wins over Roma and Zenit were very convincing, and it reminded us of the old Juve, that terrorized the whole league for a couple of years.

Latest News

Eriksen is the only one out from the protocol for Inter Milan, but he didn’t play since the tragedy at EURO.

Paulo Dybala and Adrien Rabiot are both out due to muscle injury and the second due to illness.

Head to Head Games

There have been 241 official games between Inter and Juventus so far. Juventus has a better record, of 110 wins, Inter posted 72, while 59 contests ended without winners.

We saw four games last year, two in Serie A and two in Coppa Italia. The record in league games was even, as both sides used the home-court advantage to win, Inter 2-0 and Juve 3-2.

Juve had more success in Coppa Italia, winning at Meazza, 1-2, while playing the second match 0-0.

Prediction

Inter has a strong attack, but Juve’s defense has been superb, as said before. That is why the best pick for this match would be a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals. We can’t imagine not seeing or seeing only one goal, but on the other side, Over 2.5 scores are unrealistic.

Pick: Moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals +105

Here are the previews for more derbies set for this weekend:

• Manchester United vs. Liverpool
• Ajax vs. PSV
• Barcelona vs. Real Madrid