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

By John Vaccaro

Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus celebrates scoring first goal during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy on 1 December 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus celebrates scoring first goal during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy on 1 December 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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Cristiano Ronaldo during Serie A match between Fiorentina v Juventus, in Firenze, on December 1, 2018 (Photo by Loris Roselli/NurPhoto via Getty Images).
Cristiano Ronaldo during Serie A match between Fiorentina v Juventus, in Firenze, on December 1, 2018 (Photo by Loris Roselli/NurPhoto via Getty Images). /

ST: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo comes into his first Derby d’Italia absolutely on fire. He has scored or assisted a goal in his last 11 appearances in Serie A and is currently the frontrunner for Capocannoniere. He has also assisted 5 goals in the league for good measure and has looked just about unstoppable so far in his first year in Italy. Now he’ll get his first taste of the Derby d’Italia and this is a perfect opportunity for Ronaldo to add to his legacy. He has always been at his best on the biggest stages and if that continues here then this could be a performance that is talked about for a long time by the Juve faithful. He couldn’t have asked for a better stage to try to extend that streak to 12.

ST: Mario Mandzukic

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Mario Mandzukic has played great so far this season and now he will be asked to carry that into a match where he will play a key role. Inter’s 4-3-3 formation and the efforts of players like Marcelo Brozovic will make it difficult for Juve to consistently attack through the middle of the field. This means that Juve’s wide players will need to be very active in this match and that should to numerous crosses being sent in to the box. The only Juventus player that effectively attacks those crosses is Mario Mandzukic. Mandzukic and Ronaldo have combined well up front this season and the switch to the 4-4-2 should open up more space for them to play off of each other.

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Everybody will be expecting Ronaldo to try to take over this match, but don’t be surprised if it’s Juve’s other striker who ends up being the difference maker.

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