Juventus vs Inter Milan
Inter Milan won’t need to leave Australia right away, as they have another marquee Club Friendly in the country this weekend. After taking on AC Milan yesterday, which ended in a 1-1 draw, the Nerazzurri will face Juventus at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday.
Cristian Chivu’s men will enter the 2026-27 Serie A campaign as the reigning champions. After the Juventus contest, they’ll wrap up their preseason with an exhibition match against Real Betis before commencing their Scudetto defence against Monza later this month.
Juventus are fresh from a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, and Luciano Spalletti’s side is keen to extend their unbeaten run. After this Saturday, the Bianconeri will play two more friendlies against Palermo and their reserve team before opening their campaign against Frosinone.
The pre-game Club Friendly 2026 odds here at SBOTOP expect a tight contest between these two derby rivals. Either way, football fans in Perth are in for a treat, as they’ll get their share of Club Friendly 2026 highlights.
Talking Points
Zhegrova breaks his scoring drought for Juventus
Juventus secured a 1-0 win against Chelsea, as Edon Zhegrova found the back of the net for the first time in almost two years. The 27-year-old winger joined the Bianconeri from Lille last year and made 19 Serie A appearances without a single goal contribution, so yesterday’s goal against the Blues must’ve felt good.
Both teams had chances early on, especially new addition Jeremie Boga, who had a couple of dangerous runs and tested Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Chelsea summer signing Marco Palestra also forced a save from Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio.
The Bianconeri pushed for the marginal goal, and their persistence paid off in the 68th minute. Kenan Yildiz laid the ball off for Zhegrova, whose sensational left-foot curler from the edge of the box bent into the far top corner.
Juventus’ backline also deserved credit for helping the team secure their fourth clean sheet in as many summer matches. Zeki Celik, who arrived on a free transfer, looked good alongside Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu, and Andrea Cambiaso, who was the Bianconeri’s liveliest player in the first part of the contest with his overlapping runs. Meanwhile, there’s room for improvement for Arkadiusz Milik, Douglas Luiz, and Jonathan David, who didn’t play well against the Blues, as they all looked off pace.
After the game, Luciano Spalletti revealed that Yildiz has been dealing with a nagging knee injury for months, so he’ll manage his workload in the coming days. Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic just arrived over the weekend, and they could make their debuts as soon as this Saturday.
Inter Milan suffer backline blow
There’s a huge chance that Inter Milan will be without one of their starters against Juventus, as Yann Bisseck is under concussion protocol. The 25-year-old centre-back sustained a head knock in their exhibition game against AC Milan following a reckless challenge from Pervis Estupinan during stoppage time. Fortunately for the Nerazzurri, Bisseck’s injury is not that serious, even if he initially struggled to stand up on his own power.
Bisseck is one of the unsung heroes behind Inter Milan’s Scudetto triumph last term. The German international appeared in 31 matches across all competitions, notching three goals and two assists.
Wing-back Federico Dimarco scored the first goal of the match, courtesy of Nicolo Barella’s dime in the 52nd minute. But Christopher Nkunku scored the leveller in the 83rd minute after a soft penalty call on Carlos Augusto, who almost scored a late winner via a corner kick in stoppage time.
History
The Derby d’Italia is one of the oldest rivalries in European football. The first competitive meeting between Juventus and Inter Milan happened in November 1909, when the Bianconeri won 2-0. Their latest encounter was last February, when the Nerazzurri won 3-2 against a 10-man Bianconeri.
Overall, these two Italian top-flight clubs have faced off 269 times across all competitions. Juventus have the significant edge with 118 victories, while Inter Milan have 84 wins and 67 draws. Juventus’ last Scudetto was in 2019-20, while Inter Milan have won three in the past six seasons. These two calcios are the winningest teams in Italian top-flight history, with the Bianconeri having 36 Scudettos and the Nerazzurri having 21. Both clubs have yet to lose this preseason. Juventus are on a three-game winning streak after their goalless draw against Basel last July, while Inter Milan have won against Karlsruher and Manchester City (via penalties) before yesterday’s 1-1 stalemate against AC Milan.
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