Inter under threat as Juve eye eighth win

Inter Milan will be looking over their shoulders at resurgent champions Juventus when they travel to Empoli today.

Roberto Mancini’s Serie A leaders spurned the chance to put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack when they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Lazio prior to the festive break, leaving them just one point ahead of Fiorentina and Napoli.

Fiorentina are away to Palermo and Napoli host Torino. But it is Juve, aiming for a record-equalling fifth consecutive league crown, who could pose the biggest threat.

Juve’s disastrous start to the campaign is now firmly behind them and the Turin giants were the only side among the front-runners to win their last two games before the festive break.

Indeed, a seven-game winning streak has hoisted Massimiliano Allegri’s men up to fourth at just three points behind Inter and the champions aim to make it eight against Verona in Turin, says midfielder Juan Cuadrado.

“It will be our most difficult game because it comes right after the holidays, but I’m sure we’ll start off on the right foot,” said the Colombian, who has become one of Juve’s most valuable players since joining earlier this season on loan from Chelsea.

As a first fixture of the year, it could not get any better for Juventus. Verona sit rock bottom with eight points from 17 games, meaning Gigi Delneri’s men are thinking more about how to stave off relegation and less about upsetting Italy’s most successful side of recent years.

“We’ll have to play aggressively, but we’ll be limited to what Juve allow us to do,” admitted Delneri.