After the thrilling eight-goal match in October, Serie A powerhouses Juventus and Inter Milan will have a lot to live up to when they play each other on Sunday night in Turin.
While Juventus is coming off a European championship, Inter wants to pass Scudetto opponents Napoli in the most recent Derby d'Italia.
Juventus has slipped farther behind longtime rivals Inter in the Serie A rankings since pulling off a stunning comeback to escape loss in their most recent meeting between the two Italian powerhouses. Even after their victory over lowly Como last week, they are still outside of the coveted Champions League spots.
In the knockout playoff round of this season's competition, the Bianconeri have been pitched against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, and their fight to reach the last 16 commenced on Tuesday evening. After new signing Randal Kolo Muani scored Juve's late winner in Como, it was primavera graduate Samuel Mbangula who delivered the decisive blow against PSV, following Weston McKennie's emphatic finish, which had been canceled out by former Inter player Ivan Perisic.
As a result, Thiago Motta's men now hold a precious lead heading into next week's return leg. However, their immediate focus shifts to the season's second Derby d'Italia, where they will face a stern test.
Serie A's last undefeated home record will be on the line as Juventus take on the reigning champions. The Bianconeri are aiming to secure three consecutive league wins for the first time since January 2024. Despite a sub-par campaign, Juventus have drawn the joint-most home matches among Europe's top five leagues. To overtake Lazio in the race for fourth place, they will need to secure more victories.
As they prepare for Sunday's showdown, one of Thiago Motta's primary concerns is Inter's league-leading 17 goals scored from set pieces. Compounding this worry is the fact that Juventus have conceded the highest proportion of goals from dead-ball situations (43%) this season.
On a positive note, history favors the hosts. Juventus lead the overall head-to-head record with 39 wins and have lost just one of the teams' last 11 league meetings in Turin. This historical advantage could provide a psychological boost as they aim to defend their unbeaten home record and continue their pursuit of a top-four finish.
Despite fumbling a two-goal lead in this term's reverse fixture—a frantic 4-4 draw in Milan—Inter are unbeaten in three top-flight games against Juventus, dating back to their defeat at the Allianz Stadium in November 2022. October's jaw-dropping contest featured an unlikely brace from Piotr Zielinski, as the Nerazzurri took control at San Siro before Kenan Yildiz struck twice in the last 20 minutes to leave Simone Inzaghi's side stunned. While Sunday's hosts have been busy battling to progress from the Champions League playoffs, Inter enjoyed a rare midweek rest after cruising straight through to the last 16.
Last in action on Monday night, the Scudetto holders gained swift revenge on Fiorentina—who had just inflicted their second league defeat of the season—with Marko Arnautovic netting the decider in a 2-1 home win. That kept the pressure on Serie A leaders Napoli, as an absorbing title fight intensifies. Inzaghi's men are two points behind, with a faltering Atalanta BC side struggling to stay in the hunt, so it seems to be a two-horse race for first place.
Though Inter lost their last away game—going down 3-0 in Florence—they may believe a rare win in Turin is now up for grabs. Having scored more goals on the road than anyone else—and conceded the joint-fewest so far—confidence should be sky-high in the camp.
