San Siro set for battle of old foes

MILAN • Juventus' new-found solidity will be put to the test today when they face Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan at the San Siro in the "Derby of Italy", traditionally the biggest domestic fixture of the season.

Inter dethroned rivals Juve last season, prompting the Old Lady to bring back Massimiliano Allegri as coach after a two-year sabbatical in the hope of returning to the top following an underwhelming campaign under Andrea Pirlo.

After a miserable start to the season, which included the sudden departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juve are getting back to their best, eking out a run of results which have moved them to within one point of the Champions League places and three from third-placed Inter (17).

Their Champions League win at Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday was their fourth 1-0 victory in a row in all competitions, a run which started with their shock defeat of European champions Chelsea last month.

However, despite a six-match win streak, the team's performances have been more dogged than exciting, with both Allegri and match-winner Dejan Kulusevski admitting the victory in Russia was "very bad".

Now, Juve have probably their toughest match of the season so far against Inter, who reignited their own Champions League campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over surprise package Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday.

It is the first real test of Juve's credentials - they were beaten at league leaders Napoli early last month but missed a host of players who came back late from international duty.

This time, they are hoping for the return of Paulo Dybala, who provides much of the team's attacking spark and who Allegri said could play a part against Inter after nearly a month on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

Juve captain Leonardo Bonucci is confident the visitors will prevail in what will be a clash of styles.

"Now, our focus turns to the match on Sunday and to the championship to recover the ground lost at the beginning of the season. A great game awaits us on Sunday. Even winning 1-0 is important," he said.

Simone Inzaghi, meanwhile, has almost a full squad to pick from except for Hakan Calhanoglu and will stick with a league-leading Inter attack which has rattled in 23 goals in eight matches.

Bonucci earlier this week aimed a thinly disguised dig at Inter, saying it was more the case that Juve lost the league title as they were their own worst enemy, rather than the Nerazzurri being the overall best team last season.

But Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal, who won four league titles with Juve from 2011-15, laughed off the defender's comments.

"They have the chance to have their revenge," he said. "We'll see on the field who is the strongest this year."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

(Last five league matches)

• May 2021: 2-3

• Jan 2021: 2-0

• March 2020: 0-2

• Oct 2019: 1-2

• April 2019: 1-1