Juventus vs Internazionale 02/03/20

2 March 2020

Juventus and Internazionale go head-to-head at the Allianz Stadium in a blockbuster Serie A (SA) clash that could as well determine the faith of both sides in the title race.

Rocked by a 1-0 away loss to Lyon in the UEFA Champions League, the hosts will hope to extend a two-game winning SA run when they take on a side they’ve beaten in four of their last six top-flight H2Hs held here (D2). But, two losses in their five previous league matches have seen Juventus allow Lazio to narrow the gap to just one point, and a victory here is a must for Maurizio Sarri’s men. Luckily for the reigning champions, they welcome third-placed Inter to the venue where they’ve yet to taste defeat this season (W11, D1). Delivering action from the get-go, Juventus have opened the scoring in all but one of their 12 SA home games this term, with 13 of their 29 SA goals scored here coming in the first half. Also, very cagey in the early stages, the Turin giants have yet to concede a goal inside the opening 15 minutes of play when at home.

Meanwhile, the visitors, who enter this game on the back of a 2-1 home win over Ludogorets in the UEFA Europa League, need three points to remain in contention for the title. The Nerazzurri have suffered a dip in form, picking up just two wins in their last five SA outings (D2, L1). As a result, they now trail table-toppers Juventus by six points, although they do have a game in hand on the Bianconeri. Inter’s latest road trip yielded their first away defeat of the season (W9, D2), as Antonio Conte’s men blew a 1-0 halftime lead only to succumb 2-1 to Lazio in Rome. Quick-start Inter have scored the opening goal in 11 of 12 SA away matches this campaign (92%), but they failed to preserve the lead in three of the last five such fixtures (D2, L1).