San Siro will play host to the biggest Serie A game of the season so far when champions Juventus visit league leaders Inter Milan on Sunday evening.
Former Juve captain and boss Antonio Conte has won all six of his league games in charge of Inter Milan so far, storming to the top of the table, but Juventus are only two points behind ahead of this crunch match between the top two.
Match preview
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One of the most intriguing sub-plots in this Serie A season is shaping up to be which former Chelsea boss fares the best in their new role - Conte or Maurizio Sarri.
Both have impressed so far, but the praise which has been given to Conte from within the Inter dressing room speaks volumes ahead of this meeting with his Stamford Bridge successor.
It is easy to see why Conte is so highly regarded right now too; Inter still boast a 100% record in the league this season, conceding just twice in their six matches to set the early Serie A pace.
The last time Inter finished higher than fourth was in 2010-11, since when Juventus have won every single league title, but the early signs suggest that the class of 2019-20 may offer the most serious threat to Juve's dominance yet.
Conte, of course, knows all about that dominance having set the machine rolling by leading Juventus to the first three of their unprecedented run of eight Scudettos in a row - not to mention winning 13 trophies during his playing days in Turin - and Inter fans may just be beginning to hope that his arrival at San Siro will spark a similar monopoly in Milan.
Inter have already beaten city rivals AC Milan and Lazio this season, but Sunday's match will undoubtedly be their toughest of the Serie A campaign so far against a Juventus side who offer no signs of giving up their crown easily.
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While Inter's surge to the top of the table has drawn the level of interest you might expect from a fallen giant hinting at a return to their former glories, Juve's success is predictable enough to barely make the headlines anymore.
Sarri's side have dropped points this season in a goalless draw at Fiorentina, but they have won all of their other league games and know that a fifth successive win across all competitions would be enough to resume their usual spot at the summit.
Indeed, the Old Lady remain unbeaten in all competitions this season, which is an accolade Inter can no longer boast after falling to a 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Barcelona in midweek, leaving them with just one point from their opening two Champions League group games.
It has been a particularly challenging week for the hosts, then, and Juventus' own 3-0 Champions League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night would have boosted their confidence even more.
Somewhat surprisingly, it was not until last weekend that the champions picked up their first winning margin of more than one goal under Sarri, so to chalk up another in such quick succession suggests that the attacking aspect of the manager's plan is starting to bear fruit.
The winning knowhow of this Juventus squad can also not be underestimated; Inter are by no means the first to challenge their recent dominance, but they could be the most serious threat to a team that has grown accustomed to silverware.
Inter Milan form: WDWWWL
Juventus form: DDWWWW
Team News
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Inter are sweating over the fitness of Romelu Lukaku, who missed the trip to the Camp Nou on Wednesday night due to a muscle injury and remains a doubt for this match.
The Belgian has scored three goals in six league games since his summer move from Manchester United, and the latest reports suggest that Conte is hopeful of having him available.
Fellow Man United alumnus Alexis Sanchez is definitely out, though, having scored but then been sent off on his full debut against Sampdoria last weekend.
Juventus will hope that Inter's attacking options are as limited as possible due to their own defensive injury concerns, with Mattia De Sciglio, Danilo and Giorgio Chiellini all sidelined.
Juan Cuadrado, who played under Conte at Chelsea, has been utilised as an emergency right-back in recent games and will likely carry out that role again.
Sarri has budged from his 4-3-3 formation due to those injuries, instead playing two up front in a 4-4-2 diamond.
Aaron Ramsey and Paulo Dybala are in contention for the number 10 spot behind the strikers, although Federico Bernardeschi will hope to have done enough to secure that role after scoring in midweek.
The other two goalscorers against Bayer Leverkusen - Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo - are expected to retain their places up front, with the latter the biggest threat yet to Inter's impressive defensive record.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Skriniar; Brozovic; Candreva, Barella, Sensi, Asamoah; Martinez, Lukaku
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi; Higuain, Ronaldo
We say: Inter Milan 1-1 Juventus
This is a mouth-watering contest between two sides in fine form and full of confidence. In a game likely to be decided by fine margins the fitness of Lukaku could be key for Inter and, should the Belgian recover in time, then we can see the two teams cancelling each other out.
Barney Corkhill
