On Sunday, Juventus will travel to the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium where their arch rivals will be awaiting them.
The rivalry between the Bianconeri and Inter need no introduction, and the two sides will try to prevent a defeat at all costs in order to stay in the hunt behind the high-flying Napoli and Milan.
On Saturday, Max Allegri held his pre-match press conference where he confirmed the return of Paulo Dybala to the squad and explained why he won’t play with three at the back.
“Paulo will be available, he’s fine and had two training sessions with the team. We are almost complete in terms of availability,” said the manager as translated by Football Italia.
“When De Ligt is ready to play at the right in a back-three, we can play with three defenders too. For now, they play in two.”
On another note, the Livorno native tried to play down the importance of the Derby d’Italia encounter, saying that it won’t be decisive for the Scudetto race.
“Given the table, they can’t kill us,” Allegri said. “It’s not a decisive game, it’s a nice evening to experience.
“Then we arrive at the break in November and see how much we have chewed, and we evaluate the next step. The seasons are decided in the last three months, but you have to be there.”
Juve FC say
A match held in October surely can’t be numerically decisive, however, Allegri knows what’s at stake.
Last season, the Bianconeri were enjoying a mini revival between January and February, but their loss to Inter sparked another negative run for the club.
Juventus now find themselves at a similar crossroad. Extending their winning streak at the expense of their hated rivals would be a major morale booster, while a defeat will certainly kill the momentum built in the recent weeks.
The coach might be trying to lift the pressure off his players, but the significance of this clash shouldn’t be a lost to anyone at the club.
