Inter Milan vs Juventus
This is the moment for Inter Milan to make a Serie A statement. Make no mistake, the arrival of the “Old Lady” at the San Siro this weekend is when the Nerazzurri can really show their rivals they are not going to let their advantage at the summit slip.
Five straight league victories mean Cristian Chivu’s men have enjoyed some early Serie A 2026 highlights and opened up a lead in what had, before Christmas, been a tight title battle involving potentially up to five teams. Only at the turn of the year had I billed the chase as the most exciting title race in Europe.
However, since Inter were held at home by reigning champions Napoli on January 11, they have won five on the spin and opened up a gap to leave Napoli, Roma, and their opponents this Saturday evening well off the pace, while even their neighbours AC Milan, in second place but with a game in hand, are eight points adrift.
See off Juve this weekend, and Inter can rightly claim to be in full control of their destiny and wrestle back the crown they so narrowly lost last term.
Talking Points
By contrast, Juventus, who replaced Igor Tudor in October and put Napoli’s 2023 title-winning boss Luciano Spalletti in the hot seat, have been inconsistency personified over the past month or so.
Impressive victories over Napoli, Parma, and Benfica (in the Champions League) have been interspersed with disappointing results against Lecce (1-1), Cagliari (a 1-0 defeat), and Atalanta (a 3-0 Coppa Italia defeat).
They travel to Milan with Francisco Conceicao available again after a knee issue, although Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik remain on the sidelines.
In their ongoing absence, Jonathan David is expected to pip Lois Openda to lead the line.
Inter, who are unbeaten in their past 12 domestic outings, have received a boost this week with the return to training of Nicolo Barella and the influential Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, although neither are expected to start. Nor is Dutch wing-back Denzel Dumfries, who has been sidelined since November with an ankle injury but could have a crucial role to play in the final third of the campaign.
Juve are seeking a third successive league win over Inter, something they haven’t been able to manage for 14 years – despite their dominance of the league for the best part of a decade which saw nine straight title successes from 2012-2020. I don’t think they will manage it this time, though.
History
Juventus have had a distinct edge historically. The “Old Lady” of Turin have 97 successes to their name compared to 60 Inter triumphs and a further 58 draws in all competitions.
The last three meetings have produced 16 goals, including seven earlier this season when a remarkable game was settled by a 91st minute strike from Vasilije Adzic.
Juve had led twice in that game through Lloyd Kelly and Kenan Yildiz, only to be pegged back on both occasions through Calhanoglu before taking a lead through Marcus Thuram with 14 minutes remaining. Yet Juve had other ideas and Marcus’ brother Khephren Thuram equalised before the late show sparked home joy.
That meant Juve won their first three games of the season, while Inter were beaten in two of theirs – they have only lost twice since.
This game last season was another thriller – an eight-goal thriller as the spoils were shared with substitute Yildiz scoring twice as Juventus fought back.
Inter, for whom Piotr Zielinski netted two first-half penalties, had led 4-2 early in the second half, helped by further goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Dumfries. Juve’s other marksmen were Vlahovic and Timothy Weah.
The sides also met in the 2022 Coppa Italia final which Inter won 4-2 after added time with Barella, Calhanoglu, and Ivan Perisic their scorers.
Betting Tip
The SBOTOP Serie A 2026 betting odds demonstrate why it’s hard to back against Inter on home soil. They are priced 1X2 @ 1.98 and Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.29 which seriously tempted me.
Juve, meanwhile, are on offer 1X2 @ 3.52 and Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 2.23. Another draw will pay out @ 3.21; another 4-4 draw will earn you a whopping pay day @ 250.00 with Correct Score.
Both teams are filled with attacking talent which is reflected in odds of over 2.75 @ 2.29, Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.97 and 4-6 @ 3.50, although Total Goal 0-1 @ 2.97 also represents good value.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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