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5 key matchups for the first Derby d’Italia of the year

By John Vaccaro

MILAN, ITALY - AUGUST 26: Ivan Perisic #44 of FC Internazionale celebrates with his team-mates after scoring the opening goal during the serie A match between FC Internazionale and Torino FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 26, 2018 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani - Inter/Inter via Getty Images)
MILAN, ITALY - AUGUST 26: Ivan Perisic #44 of FC Internazionale celebrates with his team-mates after scoring the opening goal during the serie A match between FC Internazionale and Torino FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 26, 2018 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani - Inter/Inter via Getty Images) /
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Mauro Icardi celebrates after scoring goal 0-3 during the Italian Serie A football match between S.S. Lazio and Inter at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, on october 29, 2018. (Photo by Silvia Lore/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Mauro Icardi celebrates after scoring goal 0-3 during the Italian Serie A football match between S.S. Lazio and Inter at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, on october 29, 2018. (Photo by Silvia Lore/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

Mauro Icardi vs Giorgio Chiellini

This matchup will be the one that determines whether or not Inter can find attacking success in this match. This pits one of the league’s best strikers against one of its best defenders. Icardi has integral to the success of Inter’s attack, which is currently 3rd in scoring in Serie A. Giorgio Chiellini is the key to the success of Juve’s defense, which is once again the league’s best. It is the proverbial battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object.

Icardi has been phenomenal once again this season as he attempts to defend his Capocannoniere title. After struggling early in the season, he has scored 8 goals in his last 6 Serie A appearances and has added 2 assists over the course of the season for good measure. This makes him directly responsible for 37% of Inter’s goals in the league even though he has only started 9 of their 14 matches. He has also scored 3 goals in the Champions League, showing that he is ready to show up on the big stage.

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Chiellini is having another season that will keep him in the discussion of the world’s best center backs. The Juventus captain has kept the defense performing at its absolute best lately and they have looked lost without him. He has kept the likes of Ciro Immobile, Romelu Lukaku, and Gonzalo Higuain from being able to make any impact while also cleaning up messes created by his defensive partner, Leonardo Bonucci. We were reminded again that you only need to lose track of Icardi for a second to be punished when he scored a header against Roma. Chiellini won’t be so easy to shake when he is tasked with marking Icardi and he should be a major challenge for the striker in the air. If Juve’s defense is going to have success slowing Icardi down then Chiellini will need to be at his absolute best.

A win for Icardi would mean creating a goal for Inter, something none of the last 4 teams Juve has faced have been able to produce. It would be the first real challenge Juve has faced for 3 points since their loss Manchester United. A Chiellini win would keep Inter on the back foot in this match.

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If Chiellini wins this battle of Serie A’s best then Inter’s Scudetto hopes could be dead in December.

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