Juventus projected lineup vs Inter Milan: Ronaldo looks to win first Derby d’Italia

LM: Douglas Costa

The injury to Rodrigo Bentancur will open up an opportunity for Douglas Costa to get himself back into the starting lineup. Since returning from an injury he has struggled to make the Juve starting 11 thanks to Allegri’s insistence on starting Paulo Dybala on the right wing. His only start since September came the last time Juventus was forced to switch to the the 4-4-2 and he was an absolute nightmare for SPAL. They couldn’t handle his pace and he repeatedly found space to unleash dangerous shots, including one that was barely kept out by the post. Inter’s Danilo D’Ambrosio could have a similar issue dealing with his pace. If he can replicate his performance against SPAL in Friday’s match it would go a long way toward him regaining his starting spot.

CM: Miralem Pjanic

Lately Miralem Pjanic hasn’t quite been the Miralem Pjanic Juve fans have grown accustomed to over the last couple of years, but he still has plenty of ability to open up a match at any time. He showed that with his beautiful free kick delivery against SPAL that led to Ronaldo’s opening goal in the match. Against Inter he will have a tough battle against Marcelo Brozovic that he will need to come out on top of for Juve’s attack to find success. We know from his past efforts that he is fully capable of leading Juve to a victory, but he’ll need to look like the Pjanic of the past to do it.

CM: Blaise Matuidi

Getting the middle of the week off will do a lot of good for Blaise Matuidi. He has had an absolutely packed schedule over the last couple of years and Juve’s complete lack of depth at midfield this season has made it nearly impossible for Juve to give him a day off. Now that he’s gotten a chance to shake off a little bit of the fatigue he should be able to fill his role at Juve at his absolute best. His defensive role will be key against Serie A’s 3rd highest scoring attack. Even when he has been tired he has given fans no reason to worry about his ability to perform that duty and now that he is rested we can expect him to be a major pain for Inter.

RM: Juan Cuadrado

Juan Cuadrado hasn’t felt the impact of Paulo Dybala’s starts quite as much as Costa. He has been able to work his way into the starting 11 frequently thanks to his versatility. He worked his way into the starting lineup by filling gnat right back and turned those performances into some starts playing further up the field. He has been in very good form lately, notching a goal and 2 assists in his last 6 starts and linking up well with Joao Cancelo on the right side of the field. Coming off of a very good performance against his former team last Saturday it seems like Cuadrado is the logical choice to start on the right side once again. In his current form he should be handful for Asamoah.