Preview: Italian giants to avoid an embarrassing last place in International Championships Cup
The Italian teams are two of the most celebrated sides in the country but now are put in an uncalled-for situation having to battle for the seventh and the eighth places in an eight team competition which included some of the best teams in the world.Juventus with 29 titles have won the Scudetto more than any other side in Italy whereas Inter are tied in second place with AC Milan having won 18 league titles.
The tournament has been one to forget for both the sides with neither of the Italian giants managing a single win in the competition. Juventus fell to Everton in their first match of the tournament losing 5-6 on penalties in their second match the Turin side was humbled by LA Galaxy who won the match 3-1.
For Inter Milan the tournament has been an even embarrassing one with the Nerazzurri failing to score a single goal in the entire tournament.
Whereas Inter Milan have gone through a downward spiral after winning a historic treble back in 2010, the same cannot be said of Juventus who have grown from strength to strength despite a major setback which demoted them to the second tier of Italian football back in 2007.
Apart from the back to back league titles which they have won in the last two campaigns, in the 2011-2012 season the Old Lady managed to do it without tasting a single defeat in their 38 match long season.
Their performance in the International Champions Cup tournament is thus baffling also given the fact that Juventus have made some high profile acquisitions this season which includes the likes of Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente and Angelo Ogbonna.
Both the Italian sides will have to up their performances given the fact that the battle for the Scudetto promises to be stiffer than last time around. Both AC Milan and Napoli have strengthened their squads and are likely to firmly challenge for the league title.
Juventus head coach Antonio Conte has encouraged his side to show “more hunger” after a disappointing beginning to their pre-season campaign. The Turin side will have to find their feet sooner as they will be put in competitive action within a span of two weeks when they face Lazio on the 18th of August in the Italian Super Cup.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels
Italian fans in specific will be awaiting a match which is one of the biggest fixtures in the Serie A, even though the match holds little relevance it is expected to yield a significant amount of audience.
Watch the game live:
In USA at 18:30 ET on ESPN Deportes, Watch ESPN, Fox Soccer 2Go, SiriusXM FC, Fox Soccer Channel
Fans all over Africa can catch the match live on SuperSport 3 Africa
Juventus and Inter Milan probable line-ups
Juventus:
Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah,Tevez, Matri
Inter Milan:
Handanovic, Juan, Ranocchia, Samuel, Nagatomo; Joel Obi, Cambiasso, Guarin, Alvarez, Palacio, Milito
