Juventus vs. Inter Milan match preview

BAD NEWS

Juventus has a one-point lead atop the Serie A table. I know that's not really a bad thing, but the room for any kind of error really isn't there right now.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

I mean, the whole reason why Allegri switched back to a four-man backline the last few weeks was because of Chiellini's absence. Allegri was reluctant to throw Daniele Rugani into the starting lineup to keep the 3-5-2 intact, which made some sense seeing as the second-year Juve manager would have been left with no senior squad center back left on the bench. But with Chiellini now healthy and training again, the ability for Allegri to start all three fixtures in Juve's BBC defense is there again. That's the easy part of it to figure out. And the hope is that unlike last time Chiellini returned from injury, we won't be hearing just a day or two later about him re-injuring himself. That sure would be nice, wouldn't it? If there's a time for Juve to not lose one of its best players, I feel safe in saying the next month or two would fit into that category.

2. How Juventus' midfield copes without Claudio Marchisio.

Or, in other words: Can Hernanes replicate his 45-minute cameo against Bayern Munich?

Short answer: I sure as hell hope so.

The good thing is that by this time next week, Marchisio should be back in the squad and healthy to play against Atalanta. That's if the timetable goes according to plan and the seven days in which Marchisio will be out is just that. But, for at least the next game or two, it's expected that Hernanes will be facing his former team and playing in Marchisio's spot in the center of Juventus' midfield. If he plays like the player we saw against Bayern where he had arguably his best game in a Juventus jersey, then there's really nothing to worry about. If it's the Hernanes we've seen for most of his short time with Juve, well ... yeah. I don't want it to be the Hernanes we saw for the first five months of the season, and neither should you.