Juve resigned to Inter triumph ahead of clash

godtabh

Preview

Juventus have all but given up hope of catching Inter Milan despite being able to cut the gap at the top to seven points if they beat the Serie A leaders on Saturday (1830 GMT).

Just a few weeks ago the clash between the top two, already Italy's fiercest rivals, was being viewed as a potential title decider but a wobble from Juve has all but ended the race.

Claudio Ranieri's side drew 3-3 at home with Chievo before losing 3-2 at fourth-placed Genoa last Saturday.

Even if Inter lose in Turin, the chances of Jose Mourinho's side letting a seven-point advantage slip with just six games left are very remote.

"We've been liquefied. Inter deserve to be where they are," Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon told Mediaset television.

"Still, on Saturday we want to win to give joy to the fans and to us. To finish second four or five points adrift is better than 10 or 12," he added, echoing defeatist comments from captain Alessandro Del Piero.

If Inter win, as they did 1-0 at the San Siro in November, they will seal their fourth straight title with a victory at Napoli on April 26 if Juve fail to win that weekend and AC Milan manage no more than two points from their next two games.

A big reason for Inter's form in Mourinho's first season in charge has been the top displays of Brazil keeper Julio Cesar. He skipped last weekend's 2-2 draw with Palermo with a groin strain but is battling to be fit for Saturday.

Buffon, who missed most of the first half of the season with injury, has been shaky of late and Cesar has possibly overtaken him as the world's number one.

Italian media have speculated that Juve could even consider selling Buffon in the close season to fund three new signings.

Ranieri is expected to introduce three new faces for Saturday's match, given midfielders Mauro Camoranesi and Claudio Marchisio are banned while striker Amauri looks an unlikely starter after being out for a month with a thigh injury.

Milan, with speculation continuing to swirl around coach Carlo Ancelotti despite his denials that he is leaving, can leapfrog Juve into second if their rivals lose and they beat Torino at home on Sunday (1830).

Third-bottom Bologna face a tricky trip to Palermo on Sunday (1300) in Giuseppe Papadopulo's first game since replacing Sinisa Mihajlovic.

Saturday, April 18, 2009
Time Home Away VENUE
17:00 UK Genoa v Lazio Comunale Luigi Ferraris
19:30 UK Juventus v Internazionale Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Time Home Away VENUE
14:00 UK Palermo v Bologna Renzo Barbera
14:00 UK Siena v Chievo Verona Artemio Franchi Montepaschi Arena
14:00 UK Udinese v Fiorentina Friuli
14:00 UK AS Roma v Lecce Olimpico
14:00 UK Cagliari v Napoli Sant'Elia
14:00 UK Atalanta v Reggina Stadio Azzurri D`Italia
14:00 UK Catania v Sampdoria Stadio Angelo Massimino
19:30 UK AC Milan v Torino Giuseppe Meazza

Biggest game in Italin football tomorrow night. If Inter win the title is decidedd. Loss or draw and Juve fight to live another day but dont have much time left.

Mr. Presentable

Centenary edition of the tie, 1909 was the first time they met. I am looking forward to this one with some trepidation as a Juve fan. I expect Inter to win by a couple.

jamsieboy86

nipplenuts wrote: »

Centenary edition of the tie, 1909 was the first time they met. I am looking forward to this one with some trepidation as a Juve fan. I expect Inter to win by a couple.

Same as, I expect Inter to win. Jube still have a lot of injuries and are very low in confidence, I'd imagine from the last 2 results.

If Inter play in the same manner that they did in the first half against Palermo last week they'll win. They were so positive and played with real tempo, best I've seen them play in a while.

Having said that, it will probably be a cagey affair, Mourinho will not want to concede in the manner they did last week. Inter to nick by the odd goal in the 2nd half.

jamsieboy86

Finished 1-1. Decent enough match.

Very undeserved draw for Juve. Inter were by far the better team in the 2nd half. Great counter attacking goal from Inter, finished well by Balotelli. Stankovic and Cruz forced good saves from Buffon. Ibrahimovic was brought down for a stone wall penalty in the last minute, the ref somehow managed to miss it. Juve scored from a corner seconds later, poor enough marking it has to be said.

Inter still 10 points clear, only 6 games left now, can't see them losing it from this position.

Damn you Juve, I had Inter backed for a win :mad:

godtabh

They might draw it out abit like they did last year

godtabh

Pipo scores his second hatrick in a couple of games

jamsieboy86

Couple of assists from Beckham.

Morf

Did Pipo reach his goal milestone yet?

Seaneh

Morf wrote: »

Did Pipo reach his goal milestone yet?

Which one?