Juventus face a familiar foe for all concerned when they host Inter in Serie A on Sunday night.
As a former manager of AC Milan and current Juve incumbent, Massimiliano Allegri has a particularly keen sense of enmity towards the Nerazzurri. However, the 55-year-old is yet to defeat Inter since returning to Turin last summer, losing his last three meetings with the black and blues.
Here’s the Juve lineup he may deploy to rediscovery the feeling of winning the Derby d’Italia.
GK: Wojciech Szczesny – Juve’s number one didn’t concede in his first three appearances for the Old Lady against Inter in Turin, but has shipped three in his last two home derbies.
RB: Danilo – Despite often lining up at centre-back, Danilo has provided three assists in his last four appearances for the club.
CB: Gleison Bremer – After four games on the sidelines with a thigh injury, Bremer could make his return for one of Italy’s biggest rivalries.
CB: Leonardo Bonucci – Like his manager, Bonucci has ties to Milan and, obviously, Juventus. However, the Bianconeri’s skipper is a former Inter academy graduate as well. Though he only made four appearances for the first team.
LB: Alex Sandro – The Brazilian fullback’s first goal against Inter came in the most recent edition of the Derby d’Italia. Sandro’s deflected strike brought Juve level in the Coppa Italia final but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat after extra time.
RM: Juan Cuadrado – The only match Cuadrado has missed this season was forced by a suspension. Juve gave Monza their first-ever Serie A victory. The experience is unlikely to be voluntarily repeated.
CM: Manuel Locatelli – Milan’s academy graduate played in four Serie A derbies against Inter but never ended up on the winning side. In fact, Locatelli has never been part of a league win over Inter (D6 L3).
CM: Adrien Rabiot – October 2022 was the most prolific month of Rabiot’s senior career (four goals).
LM: Filip Kostic – Last season, Kostic whipped in more crosses than any other Bundesliga player. This term, only two of Serie A’s wide men can better his current tally of 85.
ST: Dusan Vlahovic – No player in Juve’s squad – including goalkeeper Szczesny – averages fewer touches per game than the perennially peripheral Vlahovic (30).
ST: Arkadiusz Milik – When he hasn’t been suspended for celebrating a goal which ultimately didn’t count (but should have) Milik has legitimately found the net five times, despite making just seven starts this season.
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