We knew Juventus' fixture list after the October international break wouldn't be easy. This is not just because there are a whole series of matches taking place within 22 days, which do not give much rest to a team that is already undermanned due to injuries. But when you have a tough Champions League game – one that we now know didn't go well at all – sandwiched between two very important league games, the second of which is the biggest of all.

There wasn't much special for Thiago Motta's team in the first two of these games. Technically yes, but it hasn't been that positive.

With the Serie A schedule proving to be a gift that keeps on giving, here comes Juventus' most hated rival on the schedule list. And one that, with Motta now in charge in Turin, adds another layer to a rivalry that is like a never-ending Russian nesting doll of storylines.

Sure, the 42-year-old Motta has done it against Inter Milan before, but he has never managed this game against the club with which he won the Champions League during his playing days as head coach at Juventus. Sunday evening sees Motta's first Derby d'Italia for Juventus at the San Siro, with some heated moments from his playing days in Milan sure to come to the forefront of discussions surrounding these two teams going down as the top two teams behind league leaders Napoli into the weekend. (Which happens to have his own recent history with Juventus and Inter, so there's that to consider too, I guess.)

But this will be a night full of storylines as the defending champions (Kotz) host their biggest rivals – the simple fact that it's Juve v Inter, Motta's first time as Juve coach at the San Siro, the first Thuram derby between Khephren and Marcus in Serie A. And the biggest problem, at least from Juventus' perspective, could very well be how the Bianconeri can get over their jitters since their wild comeback win against RB Leipzig 3 ¹⁄₂ weeks ago.

Since that victory in Leipzig on October 2, Juve have drawn with Cagliari, narrowly beat ten-man Lazio, and then looked less than good as they suffered their first loss of the season – on home soil, no less – when Stuttgart finally did A breakthrough came in stoppage time in the second half last Tuesday evening. Things haven't been going particularly well and now Juve must find themselves in a 76,000-seat cauldron that's being more than a little heated to try and prolong their hated rival's recent woes.

Both Juve and Inter are struggling with their own injury situations. It's probably fair to say that Juve's injury situation is worse considering they are without their best defender, their best summer signing and one of their best wing options, among other things. Inter will also be without some key players, notably midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who sustained an injury in Inter's win against Roma and has not yet recovered.

Apart from the absence of Douglas Luiz, these injury problems are nothing new for Juventus. They played in the first two games of the international break. And in those two games, Juve didn't look particularly good, whether against 11 or 10 men. So now against an Inter team that wasn't as good defensively as it was a season ago, but still has a good defense. On the other hand, Juve will have to try to achieve this with an attack that is still trying to start on a much more consistent basis.

At least Juve were strong defensively, right?

Juve's defense will also be tested, considering Marcus Thuram's form and the fact that Lautaro Martinez is always a major goal threat, even if he hasn't started this season well compared to 12 months ago.

We have seen many big challenges for this Juventus team in Motta's first two games ¹⁄₂ responsible for months. While Napoli are currently top of the table, this could be the biggest of these tests considering who they are and where they are being played. Unsurprisingly, despite the players not traveling to Milan, Motta isn't backing down, saying Juve “need to implement our style of play well” against Inter on Sunday night.

Achieving that will be a big challenge, but a win can go a long way towards hopefully turning the tide after some obvious difficulties in October.

TEAM NEWS

• Motta said in his pre-match press conference that the injury list for the trip to San Siro was the same as against Stuttgart during the week. This means Juve will be without: Gleison Bremer, Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez, Arek Milik and Douglas Luiz, who canceled the pre-match warm-up on Tuesday due to a muscle injury.
• Also not in the matchday squad: Juventus goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio, who gave birth to baby boy Isac on Saturday. However, he is expected to meet with the team in Milan on Sunday.
• With Juventus only calling up four midfielders for the trip to Milan, Nicolo Fagioli is tipped to be the number 10 behind Dusan Vlahovic when Motta plays in a 4-2-3-1.
• When Motta was asked about Kenan Yildiz possibly playing in the middle rather than on the wing, where he has been for most of the season, he quipped: “He could play there, why not?”
• Commenting on his approach after Juve's first loss of the season on Tuesday, Motta said: “Stuttgart is in the past and we will play against Inter.”
• The key for Motta against Inter? “We have to face Inter with courage and determination,” he said.
• Although Michele Di Gregorio is expected to return to the starting XI after his suspension in midweek, Motta said Mattia Perin “could play” after his outstanding performance against Stuttgart.
• We usually don't mention who the referee is in the previews here, but this time he deserves a mention. Marco Guida will be in charge of the process. This is the same Marco Guida who refereed Lille's 3-1 win over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and awarded the French a rather controversial penalty that had Diego Simeone saying the 43-year-old Italian was “hallucinating” at the time of the decision. .

JUVENTUS PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kenan Yildiz announced his arrival in the Champions League with one of the best goals a Juventus player can score this season.

However, things haven't exactly gone well since then. And given the current state of Juve's attack due to injuries and ineffectiveness, it would certainly be nice to break out of the crisis, right?

Photo by Sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

In his last six games for Juventus in all competitions, YIldiz has failed to register a goal or an assist. At times he looked dangerous, at other times he looked a little out of shape and perhaps a little too under pressure to try and get things going again. Since his miracle strike against PSV Eindhoven, which scored Juve's first goal of the season in Europe, things haven't been going so well for one of Motta's most important players.

Is he tired?

Is he pushing?

Is it a bit of both?

According to Motta, there is nothing wrong with Yildiz, no matter how things look from the outside.

“Yildiz feels good, he needs to improve like everyone else in every aspect of the game,” Motta said during the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “He has to be connected to the team at every moment, starting in the defensive phase. He is a young player but already a great player who we need to make the most of, both as a winger and as a midfielder.”

Although Yildiz is still months away from emerging from his teenage years, he is keenly aware of what it means to wear his new jersey number. And it was that goal against PSV that showed what a talent he is and that he can be a big part of this club's future.

But there is also a simple fact that despite his inexperience, Juventus demand a lot from him. He has played the third-most minutes this season, behind only Dusan Vlahovic and Andrea Cambiaso. As much as he loves playing wide left, it's still not entirely certain that left wing is the best position for him to move forward.

However, it is evident that whether he plays wide on the left or in the gap, Yildiz will do a lot to help Juventus have a good day or a bad day against their most hated rivals. He's talked about wanting to score against Inter at the San Siro like his idol Alessandro Del Piero did, so now seems like a good time to break out of his doldrums and make that happen.

It would certainly go a long way towards alleviating some of the heat that has come his way in recent games (rightly or wrongly).

GAME INFO

When: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.

Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy.

Official kick-off time: 6:00 p.m. in Italy and Central European Time Zones, 5:00 p.m. in the United Kingdom, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

(Please note that Daylight Saving Time in Europe comes into effect on Sunday, October 27th, so times in your location may differ from the usual 6:00 p.m. CET.)

HOW TO WATCH

TV: Fox Deportes (USA; TLN (Canada); Sky Sport Uno, Sky Sport 251, Sky Sport Calcio (Italy).

Online/Streaming: Paramount+fuboTV, Foxsports.com, FOX Sports App (US); fuboTV Canada (Canada); OneFootball.com (UK); DAZN Italia, Sky Go Italia (Italy).

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