Juve to continue Inter dominance
Friday sees the first Derby d’Italia of the season as third-place Inter Milan travel to Turin to take on Serie A leaders Juventus.
The Bianconeri already have an eight-point lead in the standings and will see this game as the chance to land another psychological blow against their Scudetto rivals.
Allegri making the Max of his squad
Juve have been almost perfect this season and Massimiliano Allegri seems to again have found a way to juggle his considerable resources, with some younger faces seemingly being phased in. Inevitably there has been talk of in-fighting but their results so far this season suggest a totally different story.
While hardly in the infancy of his career, summer arrival Cristiano Ronaldo has provided another dimension to the Bianconeri’s attack, scoring 11 times already this season and his threat alone gives a clue to why his team are the 1.58 favourites on Friday.
Inter out to end hoodoo
Visitors Inter have not won away at Juventus since 2012, in fact their only triumph against their rivals in 11 league meetings was a 2-1 home success in September 2016.
Luciano Spalletti’s side also have other things to think about, with a crucial Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven to come in the week. Win that and Inter are likely to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, with Tottenham requiring a victory in Barcelona.
A battling 2-2 draw at Roma last Sunday will have encouraged the coach but, after winning only one of their last five on the road in all competitions, it is no wonder they are 6.55 to get a result on Friday, with the draw 4.05.
Icardi always a danger
However, the Nerazzurri do always hold a threat through captain Mauro Icardi and his 12 goals so far this season demonstrates that he is as potent as ever.
Icardi is 3.10 to score at Anytime on Friday and may feel he has a point to prove, having not netted at The Allianz Stadium since January 2015.
Bianconeri back-line the key
Ronaldo is 3.50 to score first but it may well be Juve’s fabled defence that makes the difference, having not conceded in their last four in all competitions.
In fact, Juventus have won this fixture to zero in the last two seasons and that outcome could be the winner at 2.50, with the hosts conceding just eight times in their 14 games this season.
