Inter Milan v Juventus
Inter Milan v Juventus – Saturday 29th October – San Siro Milan (20:45)
We had the historic Manchester derby last weekend and football fans were treated to a goal fest. This weekend sees two of the most decorated football teams in Italy going head to head and one can expect an action packed encounter as these two have a bitter history and will do all they can to put their opponents to the sword.
Inter Milan have made a dismal start to this campaign. They currently lie in an embarrassing 16th spot on the table and have found things really difficult this season. Inter sacked their Brazilian Manger Leonardo at the beginning of this season due to a string of poor results. They sold one of their prize assets in Samuel Eto’o and fans still feel this was a major downfall as they have struggled to find the back of the net in recent times. The new man at the helm Claudio Ranieri comes with great experience as he was once on the books of their upcoming opponents. This will be Ranieri’s eighth Italian club that his been in charge of, making his knowledge of the Italian Serie A superior to most others. The Italian was left with a team that is lacking confidence and composure and ultimately has to many ageing players. He was able too hold on to vital players such as Wesley Sneijder, who was heavily linked to Manchester United and brought in World Cup goal scoring machine Diego Forlan. Results have started going their way, but this squad is still a long way off the treble winning team and the question for all Inter Milan fans is, does Claudio Ranieri have the right ammunition to propel their team to the top of the Serie A standings.
Juventus have started like a house on fire as they lie 3rd on the log and have yet to experience defeat this campaign. They have a formidable home record as they have already got the better of the current champions AC Milan by 2-0. That result seemed to spark the team into life and since then they have only gone from strength to strength. Head Coach Antonio Conte has already out done his previous compatriot and the fans are in full support of the Italian as he spent 12 successful years playing for The Old Lady (Juventus) and knows the passion that runs within the club. Conte has brought balance to a team that struggled lasted season, the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Eljero Elia, Mirko Vucinic and Arturo Vidal have all opted to join the revelation at Juventus. These players will provide the necessary quality that can prove vital come the last stretch of the season. Club Captain Alessandro Del Piero recently stated that Juventus are on a rise and the current crop of players are more than capable of guiding the club to their first league title since 2002-2003.
These two teams will always contest for the Italian Serie A title, but this year has seen a shift of power as Juventus are in a rich vein of form, whereas their opponents are trying to mend the pieces of a dismal season thus far. Juventus are the best bet to get the 3 points.
