It is an early heavyweight clash in the Italian Serie A as Juventus welcome Inter Milan to Allianz Stadium on Saturday. Both teams have made contrasting starts to the season, with the Turin club aiming to extend their perfect record while the Nerazzurri are attempting to find their rhythm under a new manager.
Juventus have made a solid start to the season, winning their opening two Serie A matches. They began with a 2-0 victory over Parma before beating Genoa 1-0 in their previous fixture.
The Turin club will be feeling confident as they head into their first big test of the season on Saturday. Igor Tudor’s men are generally solid at home and have won their last five matches at Allianz Stadium.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan have endured a mixed start, with one win and a defeat from their opening two matches. Cristian Chivu’s men were beaten 2-1 at home by Udinese in their previous Serie A fixture.
The Nerazzurri did claim a 5-0 home victory over Torino in their opening fixture and will look to replicate that performance on Saturday. They have picked up some good results on their travels and are unbeaten in three of their last four Serie A away matches.
How the bookies view it: Little to separate them
There is little to separate both teams among the bookies, with a win for Juventus priced at 6/4 by BoyleSports, who are also offering 7/4 for an Inter Milan victory. A draw is set at odds of 19/10.
Head to head: Juventus just ahead
Juventus have a 23-20 advantage with 23 draws from 66 previous matches against Inter Milan. The Turin club claimed a 1-0 home victory in the last meeting back in February.
Players to watch: Eyes on Vlahovic
Despite not starting a game for Juventus this season, Vlahovic has made a fine start to the season, scoring in Juventus’ two matches. He could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net once again (Dusan Vlahovic anytime goalscorer – valued at 9/4 with BoyleSports).
Marcus Thuram is already looking sharp for Inter Milan this season, having found the net three times so far. The striker will be keen to maintain his scoring run (Marcus Thuram anytime goalscorer – valued at odds of 5/2).
Probable line-ups:
First-choice goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio should hold on to his spot in Juventus’ line-up, with the trio of Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer and Lloyd Kelly in defence. Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are expected in midfield, while Jonathan David should continue in attack, with Vlahovic likely to continue his impact off the bench.
For Inter, Yann Sommer should keep his place between the posts, with Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni in defence. Their five-man midfield should feature Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella, while Thuram and Martinez are in attack.
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Gatti, Bremer, Kelly, Kalulu, Locatelli, Thuram, Mario, Yildiz, Conceicao, David
Inter Milan: Sommer, Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Susic, Calhanoglu, Barella, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in three of the last six matches between Juventus and Inter Milan (BTTS YES – available at 3/4 with BoyleSports). There have been goals in each half in three of the Nerazzurri’s last four Serie A away matches (Goal in each half – offered at Evens).
There have been more goals after the break in four of Juventus’ last five Serie A matches (Second half most goals – offered at 21/20).
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