Inter Milan vs Juventus - 5 key battles to watch in the Italian derby | Serie A 2021-22
Serie A giants Inter Milan and Juventus will lock horns in the Italian derby tonight at the San Siro in an enticing match-up. The Nerazzurri, despite losing some key players of their Scudetto-winning campaign in the summer, have made a strong start to their 2021-22 campaign.
With five wins and 17 points in eight games, the reigning champions are in third place. They will look to bounce back from a defeat to Lazio in their last game, their first loss of the season.
The Bianconeri, meanwhile, have struggled following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, but have slowly recaptured their mojo. They have won their last four league games on the bounce.
Trailing Inter by just three points, they can now close the gap on the holders further with a win tonight. However, on their last visit to the San Siro, Juventus lost 2-0. Ahead of the 242nd Italian derby, here's a look at five key battles that could determine the outcome of the game:
#5 Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan) vs Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
As is often the case in football, the key battles are often in midfield. So keep an eye on the duel between Marcelo Brozovic and Manuel Locatelli.
Brozovic has been a mainstay in Inter Milan's XI for some time now, and has been key to breaking down opposition attacks. Meanwhile, new-signing Locatelli has brought plenty of energy and dynamism to Juventus' midfield.
On this day in 2016, Manuel Locatelli’s famous goal vs his current club Juventus, and was his second banger of the season after his first great goal vs Sassuolo 2 weeks prior
https://t.co/jfVNCbqeFc
He can open up teams with his expansive passing range, and possesses excellent vision and ball control. Keeping Locatelli under check could be quite a task, but should Brozovic manage to do so, Inter could stand to benefit greatly.
#4 Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan) vs Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)
Both players love to roam forward and offer width to their respective sides, so watching them go head-to-head would be interesting. Ivan Perisic has had a slow start to his campaign, but is slowly getting back to form, contributing three goals in his last four games.
One of Juventus's best players in the last years is the 🇨🇴 Colombian winger Juan Guillermo Cuadrado. Today he extended his contract with the Italian club until June 2023 for €5M per year and with an option to extend for one more year ⚫⚪
📷Juan Cuadrado Twitter https://t.co/ZgUvk6YWnO
His Colombian counterpart, meanwhile, is also menacing going forward. Cuadrado's exquisite crossing ability a driving force for Juventus in attack, but he will also have to deal with Perisic's forward movements in the game.
Cuadrado is blessed with good pace and makes timely recoveries, something that could come in handy in his duel with Perisic.