For the second time this week, Juventus will take on Inter Milan, travelling the short distance east to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Wednesday evening for the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.

The San Siro clash comes just three days after the Bianconeri notched a 2-0 league win over the same opponents, a result that was analysed in further detail in this previous post. They also hold a three-goal advantage in this tie, having handily despatched Roberto Mancini’s men in Turin back in January.

Juventus are looking to retain the trophy they won last season, that triumph ending a decade-long drought in the knockout competition.

Leonardo Bonucci was the hero at the weekend as he notched the opening goal of the game, but by the final whistle he was already looking ahead.

“Now we just have to keep marching forward and our heads are already on Wednesday because, despite winning the first leg 3-0, Inter will get off to a strong start,” he told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia). “We, however, will start even stronger.”

Both sides are expected to be heavily rotated from their Serie A meeting, but Felipe Melo—himself a former Juventus player—believes his team-mates must stop talking and begin to take action out on the field.

“No time to cry, we have to shut up and work harder,” he told Inter Channel (h/t SempreInter.com) after Sunday’s defeat, and the Bianconeri must surely expect a strong reaction from their bitter rivals in the next instalment of a fixture commonly referred to as “the derby of Italy.”

The prospect of a final at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico against AC Milan awaits the winner of this tie, an encounter both Juventus and Inter would relish and an occasion which should see the 2015/16 campaign end in the best possible fashion.

Date: Wednesday, 2 March

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan

TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK), Gol TV (USA)

Live Stream: Sky Go Extra (UK), beIN Sports Connect (USA)

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Probable Formations

Inter: (4-3-3): Samir Handanovic; Yuto Nagatomo, Juan Jesus, Gary Medel, Danilo D’ Ambrosio; Assane Demoya Gnoukouri, Felipe Melo, Marcelo Brozovic; Adem Ljajic, Stevan Joveitc, Eder.

Unavailable: Jeison Murillo and Joao Miranda (both suspended).

Juventus (4-3-3): Neto; Simone Padoin, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele Rugani, Patrice Evra; Stefano Sturaro, Hernanes, Kwadwo Asamoah; Juan Cuadrado, Simone Zaza, Alvaro Morata.

Unavailable: Martin Caceres, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio (all injured).

Odds (via Odds Checker)

Away win: 7-4

Home win: 7-4

Draw: 12-5

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Juventus‘ Leonardo Bonucci has emerged as a key defensive target for Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

According to Rob Pollard in the Manchester Evening News, the Old Trafford hierarchy are prepared to shell out “close to £40 million to lure him to Old Trafford,” but he has also been a long-term target for Chelsea.

United’s defence has made a big improvement this season—they have conceded the second fewest goals in the Premier League—but they are still lacking a consistent centre-back pairing.

Chris Smalling has made a big step up in the current campaign, but his most regular partner, Daley Blind, is playing out of position, and 28-year-old Bonucci would be much more reliable.

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola recently named the Italian centre-back one of his “all-time favourite players,” a huge testament to his consistent quality, per UEFA. 

He has been a rock in the Juve back line for some time now and has been almost ever-present in the Old Lady’s current Serie A run of eight games without conceding a single goal, per WhoScored.com.

Bonucci also has a knack of scoring spectacular goals, as he did in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan, per Eleven SportsNetwork:

And they often prove vital, per Opta:

Despite Smalling’s impressive form this term, United still need a seasoned leader in their defence, and Bonucci would add experience and quality in spades.

Juve will be loath to let him go, but they could well be tempted if the Red Devils are indeed prepared to spend big money on him.

It looks as though United will also have to spend big if they want to tempt Real Madrid into parting with James Rodriguez.

The Colombian has had form and attitude issues aplenty this season, and it has been widely reported that Los Blancos could be prepared to let him go in the summer, with United an interested party, per the Sun.

James was again off form as Real lost to Atletico Madrid at the weekend, prompting Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones to suggest he will now be sold:

However, while Sergio Santos Chozas of AS reported Real “are considering selling” James, 24, in the summer, he added “only an absurd offer would see the 2014 World Cup hero departing the Spanish capital before the start of the 2016/17 campaign.”

The rationale offered for holding onto James is that Real believe manager Zinedine Zidane can get the best out of him, and it would be a huge risk on United’s part to table a massive offer for the playmaker given his current troubles.

Elsewhere, United have been given a slight boost in their reported pursuit of Athletic Bilbao centre-back Aymeric Laporte. Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes Barcelona may not have the money to enter the race for the Frenchman this summer, meaning one fewer major club for the Red Devils to compete against. 

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Arsenal are yet to make any concrete bid for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka after his agent revealed the Germans haven’t received any offers. Plus, the Gunners are reportedly eyeing Juventus youngster Moise Bioty Kean.

Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl reportedly told Swiss newspapers this week that the club still haven’t seen any genuine moves for their man despite heavy speculation, per the Liverpool Echo‘s Joe Rimmer: “There have been claims that Inter Milan and all these English clubs are interested (in Xhaka). But we’ve not received a single offer.”

Gunners fans can afford to take Eberl’s comments as both a positive and a negative, perhaps disappointed their club hasn’t taken any initiative in the hunt but also pleased Europe’s other giants remain quiet, too.

Metro‘s Sean Kearns reported of Arsenal’s interest in the Switzerland international during the January transfer window, at which point the midfielder admitted his interest in a move to England, per German outlet DW Sports:

The Borussia Monchengladbach captain moved to Stadion im Borussia-Park in 2012 and has gone on to establish himself as a leader of the team, not to mention a useful box-to-box asset for the Foals.

Xhaka may also be considered a good fit for Arsenal considering the north Londoners could see veterans Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini all leave the club when their contracts expire this summer.

Those departures would leave a considerable void in the engine room, and despite the acquisition of Basel midfield Mohamed Elneny this past winter, Arsenal may yet deem it necessary to make further additions.

Xhaka also has ties to Swiss giants Basel and won two Super League titles with the club before leaving for Germany four years ago.

The chances of Arsenal landing Juventus teenager Kean appear much brighter, and Bruce Archer of the Daily Express reported Manchester United will challenge their English rivals for the forward’s signature.

The Bianconeri are ready to foil any Premier League interest in the 16-year-old, however, after Italian website Gazzetta World claimed super-agent Mino Raiola has secured Kean a three-year contract in Turin (h/t Metro‘s George Bellshaw). Italy’s official Twitter account posted footage of the striker scoring against Spain under-17s in January:

Raiola—the same agent who represents Mario Balotelli—is one of the most prominent representatives in European football, and his hand may mean Juve may have ended Arsenal’s interest in the player before it’s barely begun.

Kean has scored 17 goals in 17 games for Juventus’ under-17 side this season and boasts a record of two goals in three appearances for Italy’s under-17s, showcasing the kind of prolific numbers Juve will want to hang onto.

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Real Madrid may have to get a move on if they want to sign Alvaro Morata back from Juventus, after it was revealed the summer of 2017 is the deadline for them to activate their buy-back clause.

Details of the forward’s contract have come to light via the Football Leaks website (h/t Ewan Roberts of Goal) as of late. In the document, various details are confirmed, including that Juve paid £15.7 million to sign Morata in 2014 and that if Los Blancos want him back, they’ll have to make a decision soon on whether to trigger the £23.5 million fee.

Here is a look at some of the Spaniard’s best moments at Juventus, where he has improved massively as a player:

Roberts outlines further details of what looks to be a pretty complex agreement between these two giants of European football:

If Morata only plays between 25 per cent and 50 per cent of matches, the fee drops to €25 million, and if he plays less than 25 per cent of official matches for Juve, then Madrid would only need to pay the €20 million they originally sold him for.

Incredibly, if Juve decide to sell Morata to another club before July 2017, they would have to compensate Madrid to the tune of €80 million (£62.9 million), which makes it highly unlikely that the 23-year-old will leave J-Stadium for any team other than Madrid over the next 18 months.

As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, after a difficult season Morata has rediscovered some of his best form in recent weeks, netting against rivals Inter Milan on Sunday:

Although things can change quickly in football, it’d be a big surprise to see Morata back in the all-white jersey again soon. While he has made significant strides as a footballer, he’s still not to the level required to oust the likes of Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo; he’ll surely prefer to remain with the Italian champions and get regular minutes.

Feasibly, Real could pay the money and look to sell Morata on. But having already made a significant career move at such an early age, the 23-year-old will surely understand that staying at Juventus, continuing to develop and, crucially, getting consistent football is the most logical decision at this juncture.

Jose Mourinho Wants Raphael Varane

According to Sport (h/t Alex Harris of the Daily Star), Jose Mourinho has already drawn up a shortlist of five defenders he would like to sign in the summer should he take over at Manchester United, and Real Madrid man Raphael Varane is one.

The piece states that Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte and Everton’s John Stones are two other young defenders the Portuguese is looking at, as well as Marc Bartra at Barcelona and Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain. Varane is also noted and would surely be the most difficult of all these deals to pull off.

Here’s a reminder of why Varane is rated as one of the game’s most exciting prospects and why Los Blancos would be extremely reluctant to sell him:

Varane has got the lot for a modern-day centre-back. The Frenchman is dynamic, an excellent reader of the game and unflappable in possession. At only 22, he is still prone to a few lapses, but it’s inevitable he’ll improve, and provided he continues developing, he will become the best defender in the world.

Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror noted that while Varane has struggled at times this term, he’s still performing well overall:

In previous seasons, when the Frenchman found himself behind Pepe and Sergio Ramos in the pecking order at centre-back, there may have been a slender chance of United getting a deal for Varane done. However, with the youngster establishing himself as the club’s premier defender, surely it’d be a waste of time for United to even consider a deal.

Granted, Mourinho did help nurture Varane’s precocious talent during his time as Los Blancos boss. But even with the Portuguese’s allure and United’s financial clout, Real simply won’t sell a player so vital to their future.

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Having been held to disappointing draws by both Bologna and Bayern Munich, Juventus were looking to return to winning ways as Inter Milan visited Turin on Sunday evening. They would do just that, emerging triumphant thanks to a 2-0 scoreline that extended their lead at the top of the Serie A standings to four points.

While their closest rivals Napoli take on Fiorentina on Monday, the Bianconeri will gain much confidence from this latest victory over Roberto Mancini’s side. It marked a remarkable eighth consecutive clean sheet for the Turin giants, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon making a number of key saves as the full-time whistle approached.

However, perhaps no player will take a more positive feeling away from this game than Alvaro Morata, the Spanish striker getting his name on the score sheet with an 84th-minute penalty that secured three points for Juventus.

It was his first goal in six appearances, his last coming back in a January encounter with Chievo and ending a barren run of over 300 minutes of action, with boss Massimiliano Allegri clearly pleased with his impact.

“We’re making a very good habit of seeing our substitutes come off the bench and swing matches in our favour and tonight was no different,” the coach told reporters at the post-match press conference, with Morata having also notched a key assist in the Champions League draw with Bayern Munich.

The Madrid native will have enjoyed his brief cameo, with the Nerazzurri emerging as one of his favourite targets—his spot-kick here adding to a brace against the same opponents in the Coppa Italia last month.

Morata also won Sunday’s penalty, turning inside Joao Miranda and leaving the Brazilian defender with little choice but to haul him down in the box. Comfortably beating Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic from 12 yards, Juventus will hope that the goal finally sees their striker back to the devastating form of last season.

Indeed, arguably no player had the impact the 23-year-old managed on the Old Lady’s 2014/15 campaign, a season which saw him net goals in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Looking forward, it will be key for Allegri to have Morata thriving before the return leg of the European heavyweight clash Bayern, with his pace and direct approach an essential ingredient in Juve’s counter-attack.

It is something the club’s other forward’s perhaps lack; both Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza offer a more traditional target man, while Paulo Dybla remains a wonderful conduit between midfield and attack.

With Pep Guardiola’s German champions holding the away-goal advantage, they may look to negate the space they afford the Bianconeri, a factor Morata could well prove to be the perfect antidote for should he now push on to his best form.

“I realise a striker gets sad when he doesn’t score goals, I understand that, but it’s not as if Morata lost all his talent in a couple of months,” Allegri told RAI Sport (h/t Football Italia) last month, but another goal should see a much happier striker in the coming weeks.

That confidence—as well as his incisiveness—has regularly proved to be key in the past, and all concerned will hope that will be the case once again for a player who believes the mental toll he endures is part of life at one of the continent’s biggest clubs.

“Am I feeling the pressure when I don’t score?” Morata pondered in a recent interview with Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia). “No, anyone who feels the pressure should not be at Juventus.”

Overcoming that is likely to be essential to Juve’s on-going success, and for that, the team needs Morata taking on defenders and scoring goals, just as he did against Inter.

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Having maintained their narrow advantage at the top of the Serie A table last week, Juventus took on Inter Milan knowing they had a chance to pull even further ahead of closest challengers Napoli.

They would do just that, netting both goals in a match which struggled to match the intensity seen in their more recent meeting, but the Bianconeri will be happy to return to winning ways after being held to draws by Bologna and Bayern Munich.

This of course marked the latest instalment of a fixture known as the “Derby of Italy” and Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri told reporters at his traditional pre-match press conference that recent results would matter little when the game got underway.

“It will be a tough game against a very physical outfit. They’ve had a great start to the season and haven’t lost any of their qualities,” the coach said. “The league table won’t matter tomorrow. For us it represents the first of three remaining games against our nearest rivals.”

Goals from Leonardo Bonucci and Alvaro Morata handed them the victory, and what follows is a look at the winners and losers from the game, highlighting the best and worst performances from the Serie A clash.

Begin Slideshow

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Just days after hosting a huge Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, Juventus Stadium will be the venue for the latest instalment of the Derby d’Italia as Inter Milan visit Turin. The Bianconeri return to domestic action following that tough encounter with the Bavarian giants, perhaps taking a major confidence boost from the manner of their second-half fightback.

Indeed—as discussed in this previous post—coach Massimiliano Allegri’s men were thoroughly outplayed for the opening 45 minutes but managed to peg back their opponents with goals from Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro.

Unfortunately, the match also saw Claudio Marchisio pick up an injury, and Juve’s official website reports the midfielder will miss seven days of action. That rules him out of the meeting with Inter, while the Italian champions expect to see Alex Sandro and Giorgio Chiellini return after knocks of their own.

A draw with Bologna last week ended Juve’s club record winning streak at 15 games, but they now take on an opponent that has picked up just four victories in 2016. After losing to the Bianconeri in the Coppa Italia last month, coach Roberto Mancini saw his side collect only seven points from their next five matches.

They did comfortably see off Sampdoria in their last outing, however, and will be further boosted by a reduction in Geoffrey Kondogbia’s suspension. Initially banned for two games for sarcastically applauding the referee in the defeat to Fiorentina, the league (h/t Football Italia) announced this week that his punishment was halved on appeal.

He will therefore be available to take on Juventus, and Inter will hope that boosts their chances against an opponent the Nerazzurri have not beaten away from home since November 2012.

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2016

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin

TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK), beIN Sports 1 (USA)

Live Stream: BT Connect (UK)

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Probable Formations

Juventus (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sami Khedira, Hernanes, Paul Pogba, Alex Sandro; Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala

Unavailable: Kwadwo Asamoah, Martin Caceres and Claudio Marchisio (all injured)

Inter: (4-4-2): Samir Handanovic; Yuto Nagatomo, Jeison Murillo, Joao Miranda, Danilo D’ Ambrosio; Jonathan Biabiany, Gary Medel, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Ivan Perisic; Eder, Mauro Icardi

Unavailable: Marcelo Brozovic (suspended)

Key Battle

Perhaps the biggest problem for Inter this season has been scoring goals, with no fewer than six teams having netted more than their current tally of 34. While they have struggled to create opportunities, there is no doubting the fact that Mauro Icardi remains one of the division’s deadliest strikers.

Indeed, despite living on scant service, the 23-year-old has netted 11 league goals and insisted in a recent interview with InterNos that he has no desire to leave the club despite regularly being mentioned in transfer rumours.

“I’ve had a few offers but I want to stay here and lift trophies with this club,” Icardi said (h/t Inter.it). “I’m the captain and I want to achieve great things with Inter. I’ve always shouldered my responsibility ever since I joined the club and I think the fans appreciate that.”

He also spoke of the need to win against the Bianconeri, a team he has scored against at an impressive rate thus far in his career. With six goals in seven appearances vs. Juventus, defender Leonardo Bonucci will need to be at his best in order to slow down the remarkable prowess of Icardi.

Player to Watch

While the Turin side will be closely monitoring Icardi, it may well be that one of his former team-mates is the man to watch during this encounter. Indeed, that aforementioned injury to Marchisio means Hernanes is likely to be handed a start against the Nerazzurri, the club he left back in August.

Moving to Juventus on transfer deadline day, the 30-year-old has struggled to have a positive impact and has made just 10 league starts under Allegri’s guidance. Failing to register a goal or an assist, his best performance for the club arguably came against Bayern Munich earlier this week.

Entering the game as a second-half substitute, Hernanes was an important factor in Juve’s second-half fightback as he added some attacking quality to the midfield, much to his own surprise.

“All along I knew the moment would come when I could show my qualities so while I wasn’t expecting it to arrive on Tuesday night, I think I responded well to the challenge,” he told JTV (h/t Juventus.com).

The Bianconeri will hope he can continue in the same vein when he faces Inter, with a win vital as they hope to maintain their advantage over Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings.

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 23-4

Home win: 100-167

Draw: 13-5

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