After a tense few weeks after their first-leg meeting in Turin, Inter Milan and Juventus will meet again at San Siro on Wednesday to determine who will advance to the Coppa Italia final.
Team Form
Inter Milan
In the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final match, Inter and Juventus played a rather uneventful game until the 80th minute when Juventus scored a classic counter-attacking goal. However, what followed was an ugly turn of events that marred what was supposed to be a highly anticipated match.
Inter had been going through a rough patch, having suffered five losses in seven league games. Their hopes of finishing in the top four and securing a spot in the Champions League were being threatened.
But in their recent match against Empoli, they managed to end their five-game winless streak with a little help from Lukaku, who scored two goals and provided an assist.
Despite this win, Inter still faces a tough road to securing a spot in the top four, as Juventus have suddenly emerged as a contender for the same spot. With only seven games left, Inter currently sits sixth in the standings.
Inter Milan Form (All Competitions): D W L D W
Juventus
The past week has been quite eventful for Juventus. Their Serie A points deduction was overturned on appeal, which propelled them from seventh to third in the standings overnight.
Additionally, they progressed to the Europa League semi-finals by defeating the Portuguese champions, Sporting.
Juventus seemed to be on track for a typical 1-0 win against a struggling Napoli side who were vying for the Scudetto, but late ‘goals’ from Angel Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic were ruled out, and Giacomo Raspadori scored a late winner for Napoli to claim a thrilling victory.
Although Juventus could not secure a win in their recent home leg match against Inter, they had sealed a Serie A double over Inter at San Siro a few weeks earlier.
Juventus Form (All Competitions): L W L D L
Squad Report
Inter Milan
Regarding injuries, only defender Milan Skriniar, who is set to join PSG, will be unavailable for selection.
There is some doubt regarding the presence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but apart from that, the team has no other concerns.
Juventus
Juventus is similarly well-stocked for their trip to the second city. However, they will be without Juan Cuadrado, who was suspended for the match. The only player who may be unavailable for selection is Moise Kean.
Inter Milan’s expected starting lineup:
Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Martinez, Lukaku
Juventus’ expected starting lineup:
Perin; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; De Sciglio, Miretti, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria; Vlahovic
Head to Head
The upcoming game between Juventus and Inter Milan will be the 248th meeting between these two teams in competitive matches.
So far, Juventus has had the upper hand in the head-to-head record, having claimed victory in 111 of these games. Inter Milan has secured 75 wins, while 61 matches have ended in a draw.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Wednesday, April 26
Time: 08:00 pm, BST
Venue: San Siro, Milan
Prediction
Inter Milan has thrived on the big stage, despite slipping up several times in Serie A, and they should be able to scrape through to the final.
As the home side, they will have the advantage, and with their recent track record in cup competitions, they will be confident heading into this match.
