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Clash between bitter foes Inter, Juventus promises exciting fireworks

Inter and Juventus will contest the 242nd Derby D’Italia on Monday morning Malaysian time (2.45am).

For the less acquainted, this rivalry is akin to the one shared by Manchester United and Liverpool in England, but with a lot more hatred, bitterness, anger and intensity between both teams.

Juventus and Inter are among the two most successful Italian clubs ever, and the two most widely supported Italian clubs, worldwide. The term Derby D’Italia was coined in 1967 by Italian sports journalist Gianni Brera.

The origins of this rivalry can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s, but in the modern era, this rivalry came to the fore again in the 1997-98 season when the teams met at the old Stadio Delle Alpi in a top of the table clash. Juventus was leading 1-0 when Inter’s Brazilian superstar, Ronaldo, was denied a penalty.

Juventus went on the counterattack and were awarded a penalty a few seconds later. Juventus missed the penalty but won the match and the league title that season. The match is still talked about today.

The bitter rivalry between the two teams reached a new high in 2006, when Juventus were implicated in the Calciopoli scandal. The Bianconeri were stripped of the league title it won in 2004-05 and 2005-06; the latter was awarded to Inter as they were the next best team not to have been implicated in the scandal.

Juventus was relegated to Serie B. Inter benefited from their arch rival’s relegation, and dominated Italian football for the next four years, culminating in the treble of 2009-10.

Until today, Juventus still argues that they did not do anything out of the ordinary and insists that the two revoked league titles should still count as part of their trophy haul. They have contested, unsuccessfully, in court to have the league titles reinstated.

In response, Inter continuously rubs salt on Juventus’ wounds by being the only Italian club to have won the treble and not to have been relegated.

Inter broke Juventus’ monopoly of Serie A when they won the Scudetto last season, and this meeting will be the first clash between the two where Inter goes in as defending champions.

Only three points separate the teams, with Inter in third place, and Juventus in the seventh spot. Inter lost their last match to Lazio, while Juventus claimed a slender win over AS Roma, to continue their rise up the league table.

Inter will be desperate to bounce back from that defeat, while Juventus will want to show their enemies who’s boss. It promises to be another electrifying and intense match in front of fans in the cauldron of San Siro.

Look out for the choreography in the stands by the Inter fans, who are at home, as it promises to be exciting, as always.

This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.