Having deposed their bitter foes as Serie A champions just a week ago, Inter Milan now meet a crestfallen Juventus side on Saturday evening, in the Derby d'Italia.
While the Nerazzurri seek to seal a league double over their Turin rivals and confirm their current supremacy, Juve simply must win to stay in the hunt for a return to the Champions League next season.
Match preview
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The last time these two giants of Calcio faced each other in the league, it was Inter who came out on top - beating Juventus 2-0 in a calculating display of their title credentials back in January.
Though the Bianconeri subsequently ended Antonio Conte's side's hopes of a domestic double by knocking them out of the Coppa Italia, it has been the Milanese club who have since streaked clear of the field to claim a first Scudetto in over a decade - satisfyingly denying Juve a 10th consecutive crown in the process.
Conte and company have showed no signs of taking their foot off the accelerator since securing their 19th league title, with the taciturn coach even seeing fit to take off substitute Lautaro Martinez in Wednesday's 3-1 defeat of Roma due to perceived lack of effort - much to the Argentinian striker's obvious dismay.
Nonetheless, the pair have since been seen "sparring" at the club's training ground, in a jokey video posted on social media; apparently demonstrating the buoyant mood in the camp ahead of the trip to Turin.
Still unbeaten in the league since early January, having registered 15 wins and four draws since their long-distant last defeat, Inter have won their two games since their confirmation as champions by an aggregate score of eight goals to two and are currently on a streak of four successive Serie A victories.
Should they win their two remaining games, they would set their second-best tally in a Serie A season, behind only the 97 posted during the 2006-07 campaign - while Juventus were cast down into the second tier.
The Nerazzurri have also conceded only 31 goals in 36 matches so far, which reflects the relentless work ethic Conte has instilled in his tight-knit team this season. So, even with the title secured, Juve should expect an intense encounter on Saturday evening.
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When Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo was comprehensively outmanoeuvred by his former boss Antonio Conte in the first national 'Derby' this season, the Old Lady's experiment of placing the legendary midfield maestro in the Allianz Stadium dugout began to look incautious at best.
Since that time, his Juve side have slumped to a series of humbling results and must now rely on others' misfortunes to help them retain a Champions League place which had apparently become a given since they kicked off nine years of unbroken domestic success in 2012.
The latest damaging display came in a 3-0 loss to top-four rivals Milan last Sunday - since only part-negated by a 3-1 win at Sassuolo in midweek, which owed much to their hosts' profligacy, including Domenico Berardi's missed first-half penalty.
Notably, Giacomo Raspadori's second-half strike now means that the Bianconeri have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 13 games in all competitions - they last suffered a longer such run as long ago as 1955.
Just three wins from their last six leaves Juventus sitting fifth in the Serie A standings, and only the fact that direct rivals Atalanta and Milan must meet on the final day - with points inevitably being dropped as a result - can provide Pirlo's men with some solace ahead of a critical week for the club.
After iconic goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon last week announced he would be leaving Juve for a second and final time - and added yet another moment to his vast archive of match-saving interventions by saving Berardi's spot kick - only a Derby d'Italia win would represent a fitting end to the evergreen 43-year-old's time in Turin.
However, Juventus - who face Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final next week, before visiting Bologna on the final day - are low on confidence and cohesion, while Inter would love nothing better than shutting the door to Europe's elite in their faces.
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Team News
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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 100th Juventus goal in midweek, with the Capocannoniere leader taking just 131 competitive matches to reach that mark, and will again lead the line for the hosts.
Meanwhile, Paulo Dybala has also netted the same number of goals from 251 appearances for the club after his strike at Sassuolo, so should keep his place in support of Ronaldo in the front two.
While Danilo returned at right-back on Wednesday, as Juan Cuadrado made way for the more attacking option of Dejan Kulusevski, the versatile Colombian is likely to come back into the XI against more accomplished opponents.
With a fully-fit squad to choose from, Pirlo can also choose whether to reintroduce regular starter Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield or instead allow Arthur an extended opportunity.
After giving a long-awaited chance to several squad players during the past week, Inter are likely to revert to a more familiar side for Saturday's game.
Only injured pair Aleksandr Kolarov and Arturo Vidal are set to be sidelined for Antonio Conte's side, so the former Juve manager has a strong squad to select from. Vidal is still training separately from the main group as he continues a delayed return from injury, while Kolarov is set to start rehabilitation next week, after the experienced defender underwent surgery to remove a hernia.
Forward Alexis Sanchez is expected to recover in time to be available though, following doubts due to the Chilean striker's substitution after 35 minutes of the win over Roma with a sprained ankle. However, Lautaro Martinez is favourite to start alongside top scorer Romelu Lukaku - still yet to score against Juventus - up front.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini, Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Rabiot, Chiesa; Dybala, Ronaldo
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Sensi, Perisic; Lukaku, Martinez
We say: Juventus 1-2 Inter Milan
Inter will simply not let up, as their clear-eyed and confident squad approach the game that brings Italy to a standstill with the mere matter of pride and prestige left to play for.
Therefore, a nervous and often disjointed Juventus may be found wanting again - though signs that Paulo Dybala may be stirring into life mean that the visitors' back line will not go untested - as the Nerazzurri re-assert their authority as Serie A's number one.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Inter Milan win with a probability of 43.07%. A win for Juventus had a probability of 32.66% and a draw had a probability of 24.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Milan win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.01%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (8.24%) and 0-2 (6.6%). The likeliest Juventus win was 2-1 (7.68%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.25%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.8% likelihood.
