Preview: Inter Milan vs Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups

Serie A’s Saturday night showdown will see league leaders Inter Milan host Juventus at San Siro, as the teams convene for another Derby d’Italia.

Following September’s seven-goal thriller, there will be no love lost between the old foes on Valentine’s Day, with Inter pursuing the Scudetto and Juve aiming to trim their 12-point deficit.

Match preview

Unbeaten in 12 Serie A matches, title favourites Inter have pulled clear of the chasing pack in 2026, and they kept their foot on the pedal by thrashing Sassuolo last week.

The Nerazzurri moved eight points ahead of city rivals AC Milan with an emphatic 5-0 victory, as assist machine Federico Dimarco laid on three goals and five men inked their name on the scoresheet.

That was a fifth straight success across all competitions, including the 2-0 defeat of Borussia Dortmund that led to an upcoming Champions League playoff against Bodo/Glimt.

Still in contention for Europe’s top prize and on track to claim first place in Serie A, Inter are also into the Coppa Italia semi-finals - where Como await - so three trophies are still in the sights of 2010 treble winner Cristian Chivu.

However, his team have struggled to perform in the most high-profile matches, perhaps scarred by last term’s Champions League Final evisceration at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

As well as losing some big European fixtures, Inter have claimed just a single point from direct encounters with Italy’s top four - and that includes their dramatic 4-3 defeat to Juventus earlier this season.

Despite leading with 10 minutes to play, they somehow left Turin empty-handed; as a result, the Nerazzurri have won just one of their last seven league meetings with Juve.

Memorably, the two clubs with most Scudetti to their name shared eight goals when they last met at San Siro, in October 2024 - once again, Inter lost the lead, as Kenan Yildiz bagged a late brace.

Reprising a rivalry that began back in 1909, Juventus are seeking their third straight league win over Inter - something they last achieved almost 14 years ago.

The last three meetings have produced 16 goals, and Serie A’s top two attacks will face off this weekend: these sides have scored more than anyone else and have recorded the most shots on target.

Transformed under the management of ex-Inter boss Luciano Spalletti, Juve have used such firepower to win seven of their last 10 top-flight matches while scoring 23 goals.

They increased their tally with an eventful 2-2 draw against Lazio last week, when Pierre Kalulu’s 96th-minute leveller salvaged a point and kept the Bianconeri’s unbeaten home record intact.

As well as returning to the top four, Juventus are also through to the Champions League's knockout phase - Galatasaray await in the playoffs - but they were recently beaten by Atalanta BC in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

With Roma and Como close behind in the Serie A standings, the Turin club cannot afford to lose this Derby d'Italia, so Spalletti will aim to halt a worrying trend when they arrive in Milan.

Across their last four away fixtures - played in Cagliari, Parma, Monaco and Bergamo - his team have lost twice and failed to score on three separate occasions.

Inter Milan Serie A form:

D W W W W W

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

L W W W W W

Juventus Serie A form:

W W L W W D

Juventus form (all competitions):

W W D W L D

Team News

Inter’s hopes have been boosted by the return of two key midfielders, as Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu have both returned to full training - albeit, it remains to be seen if either can start.

Sidelined since November by an ankle injury, Dutch wing-back Denzel Dumfries is also hoping to make the squad, but Luis Henrique - who scored his first Serie A goal last week - should continue to patrol the hosts’ right flank.

Starting on the left, Dimarco has already notched 11 assists in the Italian top flight, while captain Lautaro Martinez will feature up front.

Any one from Marcus Thuram, Ange Bonny and Francesco Pio Esposito will partner the Capocannoniere leader, who must try to improve on a modest Derby d’Italia record: 'El Toro' has only scored twice in 15 league games against Juventus.

Juve are set to have Francisco Conceicao available after a knee issue, so only Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik remain on the sidelines.

In their ongoing absence, Jonathan David should beat Lois Openda to selection as the Bianconeri’s lone striker.

Having celebrated his seventh goal of the season last week, Weston McKennie will overcome a minor leg injury to keep his place in midfield; main man Yildiz can look to build on his three Serie A strikes against Inter.

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Sucic, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David