3/1/20 2:45 pm
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Juventus is hosting Inter at Allianz Stadium in the Derby d’Italia in round 26 of Italian Serie A.
Juventus is not playing well as of late and they lost three games in their last 7 matches, something that hasn’t happened to Juventus in a while. In their Champions League match against Lyon earlier this week, Juventus was disappointing, and they lost 1-0. Juventus is at the top of Serie A with 60 points, but Lazio is just 1 point behind them, and they are playing much better soccer. Despite having some of the best strikers in the world like Ronaldo, Dybala, and Higuain, Juventus has scored only 48 goals in 25 games, while they conceded 24 goals. In their latest Serie A match against Spal on the road, Juventus had 55% of ball possession, 6 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, and 84% of accurate passes. This wasn’t a bad game for Juventus, but it should have been a lot easier because Spal is one of the worst teams in Serie A. Juventus has won this match 1-2. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 21 goals for Juventus so far this season, while Dybala added 6 goals and 5 assists. Demiral is the only injured player for Juventus. Good thing for Juventus is that the second leg match of the Champions League is being played at Allianz Stadium which means that Juventus will have the home-field advantage, but there is a potential problem. With the Coronavirus outbreak all over Europe, most of the games in Serie A are being played without the audience, and the Champions League games might be too. Anyways, Juventus will have to up their game, and I don’t doubt it that coach Sarri has a plan.
Inter is playing well and they won their last 2 games, both of those were in the Europa League against Ludogorets. In the next stage of the Europa League, Inter will play against Spanish sensation Getafe, a team that is a threat to the big three in LaLiga. In Serie A, Inter has fallen a bit behind and is now in 3rd place with 54 points, 6 points less than Juventus at the top, and 5 points less than Lazio in second place. Inter is scoring an average of 2 goals per game, and they scored 49 goals in total. The defense has been solid and consistent for Inter this season with only 22 conceded goals. It’s been almost 2 weeks since Inter played their last Serie A match because their game was postponed last week due to the Coronavirus. In their latest Serie A match against Lazio, Inter had 52% of ball possession, 4 shots on goal, 6 corner kicks, and 85% of the correct passes. Inter was the slightly better team in this match and they had the 0-1 lead at the half-time, but unfortunately for Inter, Lazio is playing fantastic soccer this season and they were able to turn the game around. Lazio has won this match 2-1. Lukaku is Inter’s leading goal scorer with 17 goals, but he slowed down a bit and that is a potential problem for coach Conte. Martinez added 11 goals. Gagliardini, Sensi, and Handanovic are all injured and will not be in the lineup. Inter will have a tough time against Getafe in the Europa League, anyone would because Getafe is outstanding this season. In Serie A, Inter is now 6 points behind, but they also have a game less. Inter was my favorite to win the Serie A title, but seeing Lazio, and what they are doing, I must admit I’m a bit scared for Inter.
Juventus has won the first meeting this season against Inter 1-2, with the help from the officials I might add. Inter is playing better soccer at the moment and Inter has more to lose if they don’t come out on top in this match. I will take a chance with Inter on this game that will be played without the audience.
Goran’s Pick Inter and over 2.5 +500
AUTHOR: Goran Kucar
Follow Goran Kucar on Twitter @GoranKucar