Juventus vs Inter Milan

Allianz Stadium is the venue as Juventus and Inter Milan go head-to-head in the first leg of their blockbuster Coppa Italia semi-final tie.

Juventus squeezed past Serie A relegation fighters Hellas Verona 1-0 at the weekend, reigniting their top-four pursuit despite a 15-point deduction. More importantly, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have won eight of their last nine competitive matches (L1), including five on the spin since losing 1-0 at Roma in early March. One of those victories saw Juventus topple Inter 1-0 on the eve of the international break and complete another top-flight double over arch-rivals. Since a shock 2-0 defeat to Serie A debutants Monza in late January, ‘I Bianconeri’ have gone unbeaten in their last seven home outings in all competitions (W6, D1), with four of those six triumphs yielding an identical 1-0 scoreline. Interestingly, the abovementioned beating of Verona marked Juventus’ 20th competitive win ‘to nil’ in 2022/23, highlighting the importance of breaking the deadlock.

On the other hand, visiting Inter Milan may soon part with manager Simone Inzaghi following the club’s sub-par return of three defeats in their last four competitive fixtures (D1), including a dismal 1-0 home loss to Fiorentina at the weekend. Defending the Coppa Italia crown could be the only saving grace for Inzaghi, but after his side failed to score in both Serie A H2Hs against Juventus this term, it could be easier said than done. Speaking of Inter’s scoring woes, they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet in three of their last four competitive away games (D1, L3), which has been the case in eight of their last ten visits to Turin in all competitions.