As domestic football resumes following the international break, Serie A throws up one of the continent’s most hostile fixtures as Juventus travel to Milan to take on Inter. The two clubs have a longstanding rivalry, dating back to the 1960s when their meetings became known as “the derby of Italy.”

Having started out the 2015/16 campaign with five consecutive victories, the Nerazzurri are vastly improved from last term, and coach Roberto Mancini told reporters at a recent event what he expects on Sunday evening, per Football Italia:

I’m sure it will be a great evening between two great teams. Now we have to play like Inter. We’ll prepare as we always do, it’s a historic match, which automatically brings motivation, and also the Derby d’Italia has become very unique in recent years because of all the controversies which have broken out.

We have to be well prepared, because it brings particular pressures with it.

For their part, Juventus appear to have turned a corner after their own poor start to the campaign. Comfortable wins over Sevilla and Bologna have them back on track, and it will be a vital match for Hernanes to show his quality.

The Brazilian midfielder moved from Inter to Juve just as the summer transfer window closed, and he explained his reasons for the switch in a question-and-answer session on the club’s official website. His importance to the team was discussed in this previous post, and three points against his former team will be vital as the Bianconeri look to climb the table.

Currently in 12th place, continuing their current run while taking points away from one of the early leaders would be a hugely significant result. Coach Massimiliano Allegri will be aware of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach, but the focus must solely be on taking care of business in this encounter.

 

Date: Sunday, October 18, 2015

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST (2:45 p.m. ET)

Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan

TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK), beINSPORTS (USA)

Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), beINSPORTS Connect (USA)

 

Form Lines:

Last 5 domestic results:

Inter 1-0 Milan	Juventus 1-1 Chievo
Chievo 0-1 Inter	Genoa 0-2 Juventus
Inter 1-0 Hellas Verona	Juventus 1-1 Frosinone
Inter 1-4 Fiorentina	Napoli 2-1 Juventus
Sampdoria 1-1 Inter	Juventus 3-1 Bologna

 

Probable Formations

 

Inter (4-3-1-2): Samir Handanovic; Davide Santon, Jeison Murillo, Joao Miranda, Alex Telles; Fredy Guarin, Felipe Melo, Geoffrey Kondogbia; Ivan Perisic; Mauro Icardi, Rodrigo Palacio

Unavailable: Dodo, Danilo D’Ambrosio (both injured)

Juventus (4-3-3): Gigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra, Sami Khedira, Hernanes, Paul Pogba, Juan Cuadrado; Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala

Unavailable: Martin Caceres, Stephan Lichtsteiner (both injured)

 

Key Battle

Looking for the matchup that will decide this clash is fairly straightforward. Mauro Icardi has scored six goals in five career appearances against the Bianconeri, stemming back to his time with Sampdoria.

The 22-year-old was Serie A’s joint leading scorer last term, following up his tally of 22 league goals with another two goals already this term while also becoming the Nerazzurri captain. His ability is undeniable, and Giorgio Chiellini will have his work cut out stopping the deadly Argentinian on Sunday evening.

The Juventus defender has been in good form, but he will need to be fully alert to the danger Icardi poses if his side are to emerge victorious at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

 

Player to Watch

While Inter’s young Argentinian striker is key to their hopes, the visitors will be hoping Paulo Dybala can continue his own impressive form. The 21-year-old—who weighed in with 13 goals and 10 assists in 2014/15—has made a good start in Turin, netting four times in his first eight appearances.

Alvaro Morata and Mario Mandzukic may miss this encounter through injury, which will only serve to heighten the pressure on Dybala, who made his international debut earlier this week.

Yet the player himself is far more concerned with the result rather than his own impact, as he told reporters shortly after Juve’s win over Bologna. “There’s a great togetherness in this group,” Dybala said, per the official club website.” We simply want to win, it doesn’t matter who scores.”

 

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 211-100

Home win: 147-100

Draw: 219-100

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