Just three days after victory over Real Madrid delivered a place in the Champions League final, Juventus will return to domestic action against bitter rivals Inter at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.

Securing a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital on Wednesday, the Bianconeri not only eliminated Carlo Ancelotti’s men—and last year’s winners of the elite European competition—but kept alive their own hopes of securing a wonderful treble. The first leg of that has already been completed as the Turin giants secured the Serie A title two weeks ago, rendering this clash with the Nerazzurri something of a dead rubber.

That is not the case for their opponents, however, who are enjoying their own impressive run of recent results. Last weekend saw them clinch victory over third-placed Lazio, meaning Inter have now gone seven league games without defeat, bringing themselves back into contention for a Europa League place.

Sadly for Roberto Mancini, however, the win over Lazio came at a cost; two-goal hero Hernanes picked up a yellow card, which means he will miss this encounter through suspension. That bad news was compounded on Tuesday when it was confirmed midfielder Fredy Guarin will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, per Football Italia.

As a result of those absences and Juve’s impending Coppa Italia final against Lazio next Wednesday, the two lineups could be very different when this clash gets underway on Saturday evening.

 

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2015

Time: 6 p.m. CET (5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. EDT)

Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan

TV Info: BeIn Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: BeIn Sports Connect (U.S.)

 

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Inter 0-0 Milan	Juventus 2-0 Lazio
Inter 2-1 AS Roma	Torino 2-1 Juventus
Udinese 1-2 Inter	Juventus 3-2 Fiorentina
Inter 0-0 Chievo	Sampdoria 0-1 Juventus
Lazio 1-2 Inter	Juventus 1-1 Cagliari

 

Predicted Lineups

Inter: (4-3-1-2): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Vidic, Jesus; Kovacic, Medel, Brozovic; Shaqiri; Icardi, Palacio

Juventus: (4-3-2-1): Storari; Padoin, Barzagli, Ogbonna, De Ceglie; Pereyra, Sturaro, Marchisio; Pepe, Coman; Matri

 

Player to Watch

With a vastly altered Juventus lineup, the player to watch in this encounter could well be Inter’s Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss star has largely disappointed since moving from Bayern Munich in January, but the suspension of Hernanes is likely to see him restored to Roberto Mancini’s starting XI.

He will need to make the most of that opportunity, with the Brazilian and Mateo Kovacic currently offering much more impactful alternatives. “I still need a little time to completely adjust to Serie A,” he told Blick this week (h/t Football Italia). But his coach has moved away from him in recent weeks.

Indeed, the 23-year-old has played just 51 minutes since a draw with Parma in early April, and a good display against the Italian champions would go a long way toward reinforcing belief in Shaqiri’s talent.

 

Key Battle

The one man Juventus will need to monitor above all others on Saturday will be Mauro Icardi. The Argentinian striker has a love of punishing the Bianconeri. The 22-year-old has weighed in with 20 goals and four assists in all competitions this term, undoubtedly posing the biggest threat whenever Inter pour forward.

He has proven particularly deadly against the Turin giants, too, netting five goals in four games against them throughout his career. The task of stopping Icardi will likely fall to Andrea Barzagli, the veteran central defender who missed a huge chunk of 2014-15 due to heel and foot injuries.

Since his return the former Wolfsburg and Palermo star has been in impeccable form, averaging 1.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.9 clearances per game, according to statistics from WhoScored.com. The team has conceded just three goals in his eight Serie A appearances this term, keeping a remarkable six clean sheets—a tally Barzagli would love to increase at the San Siro.

 

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 129/100

Home win: 53/25

Draw: 231/100

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