Inter Milan and Juventus are gearing up for a critical Serie A face-off this Sunday, with Inter fresh off a thrilling last-minute victory over Young Boys in the Champions League, while Juventus faces struggle under new coach Thiago Motta.
Currently two points behind league leaders Napoli, Inter enters this clash in high spirits, despite a growing list of injuries. Key players like Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi are sidelined due to thigh injuries from last weekend’s game against Roma, and Carlos Augusto joined the injured list during their 1-0 win in Bern. Manager Simone Inzaghi had to call on star players after the second string struggled in Switzerland, underscoring the impact of first-choice attackers Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram when Marko Arnautovic missed a penalty, and Mehdi Taremi couldn’t quite fill their shoes.
Meanwhile, Juventus encountered contrasting fortunes, suffering their first season loss against Stuttgart at home, with only a remarkable performance from goalkeeper Mattia Perin keeping the score respectable. Thiago Motta’s side, missing key players Nicolas Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners, is battling to create scoring chances, with Douglas Luiz now out due to a thigh injury since signing for over 50 million euros.
As Inter and Juve prepare for their showdown, Napoli, who faces Lecce on Saturday, is well-rested with no European midweek fixture. Napoli, led by Antonio Conte, has won six of their last seven games since a rough opening-day loss, only dropping points against Juve. The absence of Stanislav Lobotka due to injury offers Billy Gilmour another opportunity in midfield following his uncertain debut last weekend.
One player to watch is Rafael Leao of AC Milan, who has struggled under Paulo Fonseca this season. After being benched in Milan’s recent win over Udinese and substituted early during their Champions League win against Club Brugge, Leao now faces mounting pressure to regain form as Milan, trailing Napoli by five points, looks for a turnaround when they visit Bologna.
Fixtures
Friday
- Udinese vs. Cagliari
- Torino vs. Como
Saturday
- Napoli vs. Lecce
- Bologna vs. AC Milan
- Atalanta vs. Verona
Sunday
- Parma vs. Empoli
- Monza vs. Venezia
- Lazio vs. Genoa
- Inter vs. Juventus
- Fiorentina vs. Roma
SOURCE: http://dew360.net
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