Serie A preview: Inter have Juve in their sights

Inter Milan, languishing fifth from the bottom of the Serie A table, have the chance to start the long climb back in Turin against leaders Juventus on Saturday.

Inter grabbed a valuable point at Atalanta in midweek and coach Gian Piero Gasperini, a former Juve youth team player and coach, will be hoping for more of the same.

Juve, who are one point clear of Udinese and Lazio, maintained their unbeaten home record on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina.

Juve midfielder Claudio Marchisio is enjoying being top of the table, a position the Turin club have not held since 2006.

“It’s very nice being top of the table,” Marchisio told Juventus Channel.

“Yet there are some regrets, as we dropped all those points along the way, so could’ve been clearer in front.”

Inter’s Achilles heel this season has been penalties, conceding their fifth of the season against Atalanta.

Both clubs are set to field reserve goalkeepers with Gigi Buffon (collarbone) likely to miss for Juve and Julio Cesar (thigh) extremely doubtful for Inter.

Udinese and Lazio, hot on the heels of Juve, have tough matches against seventh-placed Palermo and Cagliari, who are in sixth.

Udinese, with striker Antonio Di Natale leading the scoring charts with six goals, lost their first league match of the season on Wednesday, 2-0 at Napoli, and will be hoping to bounce back into the title race at home to Palermo, who have collected just one point in four away matches.

Lazio, who will be keen to keep their unbeaten away record, dropped valuable home points in a 1-1 draw with Catania on Wednesday in which Miloslav Klose claimed his fifth goal of the season.

Also on Saturday, fourth-placed Napoli travel to Catania, where the hosts have drawn five times this season.

Rounding off the top five, AC Milan, on 14 points, face a tough task at Roma, despite enjoying a comfortable 4-1 win over Parma in midweek.

Antonio Nocerino hit a hat-trick as the Rossoneri maintained their unbeaten home run with their third win of the season.

But they are unlikely to have it so easy against a Roma side who had nothing to show from their midweek trek to Genoa, despite dominating for most of the 90 minutes.

On Sunday, Bologna are at home to Atalanta, Fiorentina entertain Genoa, Lecce welcome Novara, Parma host Cesena while Chievo travel to Siena.