Milan coach Stefano Pioli dismissed the suggestion his team are suffering from a lack of "hunger" as they prepare to face city rivals Inter in Wednesday's Supercoppa Italiana.

The Rossoneri have not won any of their previous three games as they threw away a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw with Roma, found themselves dumped out of the Coppa Italia by 10-man Torino, and then had to fight back from 2-0 down just to rescue a point at Lecce.

Although in that period they have moved above Juventus in the Serie A table to take ownership of second, Milan are now nine points behind leaders Napoli.

Much of the build-up to the Supercoppa has been centred around Milan and Inter – who are a point further back in Serie A – requiring a trophy success to boost their respective title chances.

But the suggestion Milan are less motivated than last year did not sit well with Pioli, who said: "How does such a young team that has only won on trophy not be hungry?

"There's only one thing we can control: the quality of our game. If we lower the quality, it becomes difficult to win games. It's not a question of having a 'full stomach'."

In fact, Pioli recognises Wednesday's game in Riyadh as an opportunity to have continuity in terms of success, with Milan hoping last season's Serie A title triumph was the start of a successful new era rather than a flash in the pan.

"It's an important match. We have the chance to win another trophy, it would mean giving continuity to the path we started," Pioli added.

"We know that the last week or so hasn't been the best, but tomorrow is a game in itself, like every other derby is.

"There is a trophy up for grabs and this raises the level of the match, and so we have to raise our level."

The idea that Supercoppa success could be a catalyst was also put to Pioli's counterpart, Simone Inzaghi.

Inter's board has reportedly made it clear to Inzaghi that they view beating Milan as a possible turning point in the season, though he is seemingly not convinced there is a link between victory in this game and subsequent improvement.

"We'll have to wait and see. I remember last year that we enjoyed the Supercoppa final win over Juventus in the right way, because a few days later we were back playing away to Bergamo," he recalled.

"Football never stops. Three days later, we were talking about a 0-0 draw in Bergamo against Atalanta.

"We need to just take one game at a time. Now we've got Milan, and we're preparing for it in the best way we can.

"The players need to work hard for their team-mates because in these types of games it's the only way you end the game without regrets."

Inter midfielder Roberto Gagliardini looks set to leave San Siro at the end of the season after claiming he needs more regular football.

The 28-year-old former Atalanta player, who has been capped by Italy, has started only two Serie A games this season for the Nerazzurri.

One of those came on Sunday when he helped Simone Inzaghi's team to a 1-0 win against Hellas Verona, playing the full game.

Gagliardini has featured off the bench six times in the Italian top flight this term, but he wants greater and more consistent involvement, and that will probably mean his future lies elsewhere.

He was praised by coach Inzaghi on Saturday, commended for an "excellent" display, but Gagliardini's contract expires at the end of the campaign and all signs point to a parting of ways during the Italian summer.

Bergamo-born Gagliardini told Sky Sport: "I'm no longer willing to have this playing time. I'm 28 years old, and I want to prove a lot.

"I'm more ready than a few years ago, because these years have seen great growth for me, in my head and in the reaction to the difficult moments, so in June I will make my decisions."

Gagliardini was a Serie A winner with Inter two years ago, but he was only a bit-part player in that success, starting four times and coming off the bench on nine occasions.

Responding to his player's comments, Inzaghi said in a press conference: "The important thing is that he does well on the pitch.

"He's highly regarded by everyone, he's a serious professional who works very well. He's had a few minor problems in the last year, but he's always gritted his teeth, guaranteeing his contribution."

Lautaro Martinez believes Inter can still catch runaway leaders Napoli in the Scudetto race but recognises the Nerazzurri cannot afford mistakes during the second half of the season.

The Argentina forward was the match winner against Hellas Verona on Saturday, with a third-minute strike – his ninth goal of the campaign – enough to secure a narrow 1-0 victory at San Siro.

Simone Inzaghi's side subsequently moved level with third-placed Juventus, although they still trail Napoli by 10 points after 18 matches.

Nevertheless, Martinez is confident the Nerazzurri have plenty of time to chase down the Partenopei.

"We knew that this would be a game like this, tough, as Verona man-mark all over the pitch," Martinez told Sky Sport Italia. "We scored early and then did what we had prepared. It was important to get all three points today.

"It is possible [to catch Napoli] as there is a long way to go yet. But we have to make no more mistakes; we need to get every point going or they will be too far away."

The Verona match was Inter's fourth in the space of 11 days, a sequence that began with a victory over Napoli.

Most recently, on Tuesday, Inter had been taken to extra time by Parma in the Coppa Italia, and Inzaghi felt the quick turnaround took its toll.

"We were coming off 120 minutes played on Tuesday, but the team remained sharp," Inzaghi said. 

"We scored early and then, despite a little tension in the closing stages, we remained solid and focused without suffering much against a Verona side that could cause us problems.

"I was concerned by our fitness levels with [Hakan] Calhanoglu and [Nicolo] Barella, who pushed themselves so hard to be available today. 

"They were in doubt until yesterday, while [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, [Roberto] Gagliardini and [Kristjan] Asllani really helped out in these games with their midfield performances."

Simone Inzaghi praised his Inter players who "play less" despite coming within minutes of being eliminated from the Coppa Italia on Tuesday.

The holders trailed Serie B side Parma 1-0 with just three minutes remaining at San Siro, before Lautaro Martinez equalised and Francesco Acerbi headed in the winner in extra time to save their blushes and send them through to the quarter-finals.

The irony of Acerbi heading in the winner was not lost on Inzaghi after the centre-back's effort against Monza in their previous game was ruled out by the referee, causing consternation among the Inter camp as his whistle meant that the VAR could not intervene on what appeared to be a questionable call.

Inzaghi was not in the mood to dwell on the weekend's 2-2 draw in Serie A, instead praising the players who came in for cup duty and, eventually, delivered.

"The whole world saw what happened in Monza, but we were only interested in this game," the Nerazzurri head coach said. "We were doing fairly well even if we had to move the ball better. Then with their goal it got complicated, but I had an excellent response from those who play less.

"I would have liked to avoid extra time, but last year too with Empoli [3-2 win after extra time] it was difficult."

Inter trailed to a superb strike from substitute Stanko Juric in the 38th minute, and did not have a shot on target until Martinez forced an equaliser in the 88th.

In the second half of extra time, Acerbi reacted to a punched clearance from veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to head the ball over the 44-year-old and into the net.

Parma were the equals of their hosts for large parts of the contest, but Inzaghi insisted he was impressed by his team's effort.

"Those who have played the least have given excellent answers, we must continue like this," he added. "In the Champions League we have gone beyond expectations, in the league we lost points at the start, but there are many games to go."

Romelu Lukaku did not feature, but his coach believes the Belgium striker will have plenty to offer once they can get him fit and playing regularly.

"He remains fundamental for us," Inzaghi said. "He had an injury and had problems managing it. Saturday [v Monza] he was limited by his inflammatory problem. Tomorrow he will continue to rest, then day-by-day we would like to bring him back to the top. If we could have done that before, it would have given us the extra points we are missing."

Simone Inzaghi was left "very angry" after Inter had a third goal chalked off before conceding a late equaliser against Monza in their 2-2 draw on Saturday.

After Matteo Darmian's early opener was pegged back by Patrick Ciurria, Lautaro Martinez seized upon a Pablo Mari error to put Inter back ahead and seemingly on course for victory.

But with the score 2-1, referee Juan Luca Sacchi blew for a foul as a free-kick was swung into the Monza box, which Francesco Acerbi nodded in, for a contentious Roberto Gagliardini push.

With a goal that likely would have killed the game off ruled out, Inter suffered late heartbreak as Luca Caldirola scored in the 93rd minute to snatch a point for Raffaele Palladino's side and deny the Nerazzurri a fourth straight Serie A victory.

Inzaghi was fuming after the match, believing the referee's early whistle cost his side all three points as they missed the chance to move within five points of leaders Napoli, ahead of the Partenopei's visit to Sampdoria on Sunday.

"I'm very angry at what I saw," Inzaghi told reporters. "Unfortunately, after five years of VAR, there was an error that penalised us.

"A clear mistake on Acerbi's goal, there are two Monza players who fell between them. It's a huge disappointment on our part.

"I complimented Palladino, [but] without that mistake we would have won the match."

Romelu Lukaku impressed for Inter as they ended Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, but Inzaghi opted to start Martinez alongside Edin Dzeko up top against Monza, over the Belgium international.

With Lukaku struggling for fitness, Inzaghi is unsure when the striker will be back to his best, saying: "Time will tell, he's training in the best possible way.

"He had a very good first half with Napoli, today it was difficult. We'll do the analysis tomorrow when we'll be more rested."

Asked whether he felt Inter sat back too much late in the game, inviting Monza on, Inzaghi replied: "In the first half we conceded little or nothing.

"There are always difficult opponents, Monza are organised and have excellent players.

"Without what we've seen [Acerbi's disallowed goal], there wouldn't have been this question.

"Now we start again. It's normal that there is huge disappointment on everyone's part."

Inter missed the chance for a fourth straight Serie A victory as Luca Caldirola's late equaliser snatched a 2-2 draw for Monza on Saturday.

Simone Inzaghi's men ended leaders Napoli's unbeaten start to the season on Wednesday, and they got off to a great start at U-Power Stadium as Matteo Darmian fired in from Alessandro Bastoni's cross.

Ater Patrick Ciurria superbly levelled, Lautaro Martinez looked to have earned Inter victory when he took advantage of Pablo Mari's error to smash his side 2-1 ahead.

However, substitute Caldirola nodded home in the 93rd minute to spark jubilant celebrations from the hosts and deny Inter all three points.

Inter's desire to "win at all costs" against Napoli helped them to end the Serie A leaders' unbeaten start, explained head coach Simone Inzaghi.

Napoli had won 11 straight Serie A games prior to the World Cup break as they headed into Wednesday's meeting with Inter at San Siro holding an 11-point lead over their hosts.

But a superb performance from Inzaghi's men was capped with a 56th-minute headed winner from Edin Dzeko as Inter picked up valuable points in their hunt for a 20th Serie A title.

Inzaghi was delighted with his team's display after the game, and cited their resolute mentality as a key reason for the 1-0 victory.

"Inter were organised and wanted to win at all costs," Inzaghi told reporters. "I have to congratulate the guys on the pitch, they helped each other with haste and determination.

"Tonight I bring the happiness of the victory to dedicate to the fans."

Inzaghi chose to start a front two of Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, before the pair were replaced at a goal up by Joaquin Correa and returning World Cup hero Lautaro Martinez.

The Inter head coach is a big fan of the options he has in attack, saying: "There are four, my wish is to have them all available. I have some intelligent boys. Playing every three days, I will have the opportunity to change it."

Inzaghi hoped the victory over Napoli would spur his team on as they look to close the eight-point deficit to the summit, having now won three consecutive Serie A matches.

"We must continue like this," Inzaghi told DAZN. "Tonight is a great injection of confidence.

"I'm proud of my boys, it's a pleasure to see them like this. We had a great match but we have to continue like this.

"In the league we lost points initially, but it's still a long way [to go]. We have to think match-by-match."

Napoli have scored a league-leading 37 goals this Serie A season, but they were restricted to just two shots on target by Inter as the likes of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were kept quiet.

Partenopei head coach Luciano Spalletti lamented his side's poor attacking output at San Siro, saying at his post-match news conference: "We were below all our offensive qualities.

"We can do more both as an offensive department and how to prepare the offensive department for important plays. We passed the ball around well in some stretches, but we were not very incisive.

"We need more personality and strength, we have these qualities. I didn't like the fact that we were shy in some moments."

Most football seasons carry a degree of unpredictability; that's just the nature of sport.

But it's certainly arguable that this season is among the least predictable in living memory due to the unique timing of the World Cup, which took place across November and December for the first time.

In Italy, Napoli would've presumably been the team most frustrated by the timing of Qatar 2022. On course for a first Scudetto since 1990 and the days of Diego Maradona, the Partenopei had been head and shoulders above the rest in Serie A before the World Cup and among the most eye-catching sides in Europe.

They'd lost just once – a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Liverpool – and won all but three matches across all competitions prior to the season's break. So, the key question facing them now is, can momentum survive a two-month hiatus?

The next 10 days or so will give us a fairly clear indication of just how good Napoli are.

Napoli's testing return

Napoli return to action in 2023 with one of the most-anticipated games of the season. Not only are their title credentials set for a thorough examination, but Inter could do with a positive result to kick-start their season.

Simone Inzaghi's men sit fifth, 11 points behind Napoli. A spell of four defeats in six Serie A games between August and October gave Inter an uphill struggle right from the early weeks of the season.

They recovered, to an extent, but did also lose to Juventus in early November. You'd have to think their chances of regaining the title they won in 2021, but relinquished to city rivals Milan last season, will disappear into the realms of impossibility if they are beaten on Wednesday.

Some might even suggest that's the case already. After all, Stats Perform's AI prediction model gives them only a 4.3 per cent chance of finishing the season top – though that is at least higher than the two teams directly above them.

It's not just this Inter clash that Napoli fans will have on their minds, however.

They host bitter rivals Juventus on January 13, and like Inter, the Bianconeri will also still harbour title hopes. That's assuming they don't suffer the unlikely fate of losing to Udinese – whose form tailed off after an incredible start – and winless Cremonese in the interim.

Perhaps all this talk of the title is a bit daft when you consider Napoli's clash with Juve won't even be the halfway point of the season: there remains a long way to go.

However, when a team has been as good as Napoli were before the World Cup, it's only normal to start considering how many more opportunities their rivals have.

Inter potentially have a joker in the pack, though.

Romelu's redemption?

It's been a difficult 18 months for Romelu Lukaku. His highly anticipated return to Chelsea was underwhelming, to say the least, and resulted in him making his way back to Inter.

"It's like coming home," he said. But injuries restricted the 29-year-old to just four appearances in Serie A before the World Cup, therefore Italy is very much still waiting for the real Lukaku to return.

In fact, the world is still waiting. Let's not forget, Lukaku did feature for Belgium in Qatar but did little to rebuild his fractured reputation.

Granted, injuries again limited his involvement but that performance against Croatia as Belgium were knocked out at the group stage was remarkable. He had five shots equalling 1.7 expected goals (xG), including three absolute sitters, yet he failed to convert any.

But if Lukaku does get back to anything like what he showed during his previous spell in San Siro, there's every reason to expect a slightly different Inter between now and the end of the season.

During those two campaigns with the Nerazzurri, Lukaku's haul of 47 league goals was bettered by only four players across the top five leagues. Similarly, his 35 non-penalty (np) strikes was only slightly above his np-xG (33.1 – also the fifth-highest in the top five leagues), which supports the idea he was dependable without being regularly lucky.

Of course, Antonio Conte's system at Inter was what many considered key in Lukaku's improvement. His pace, strength and running power – helped of course by his finishing ability – made the Belgian almost unplayable in a transition-based side.

Chelsea never saw the same player partly because Thomas Tuchel is a more possession-orientated coach; those opportunities to release Lukaku in behind defences just weren't as frequent and he arguably isn't technically good enough to be a key player in such a setup.

As such, Inzaghi was aware he'd have to change his tactics somewhat to adjust to Lukaku this season – this will be tested to the max over the coming weeks, and its success will likely determine Inter's campaign one way or the other.

Simone Inzaghi could throw Lautaro Martinez in at the deep end against Napoli and ask the World Cup winner to save Inter's flagging hopes of Serie A glory.

Argentina striker Martinez only arrived back in Italy at the end of last week, having played a part in his national team's Qatar 2022 triumph and subsequent celebrations.

His tournament performances left a little to be desired, but Martinez still emerged with a winner's medal, and Inter head coach Inzaghi believes he has plenty to offer the Nerazzurri.

Inter sit fifth in Serie A after 15 rounds of games, already 11 points behind undefeated leaders Napoli ahead of Wednesday's clash at San Siro.

Inter have won their last four home Serie A matches against Napoli, after victories in just two of the previous seven, and they urgently need to stretch that strong run to shuffle back into the title picture.

"After a long time, I have four forwards available," Inzaghi told a press conference on Tuesday.

"I've never had them in the year that just ended. Lautaro arrived four days ago but trained well, I saw [Angel] Correa better. [Edin] Dzeko and [Romelu] Lukaku had more chances to train with the team, my hope is to be able to have them throughout this tour de force.

"For tomorrow I still have to make evaluations."

Inzaghi, a former striker himself, said there were still "some uncertainties" over who would start in Inter's attack against a team he rates as the continent's best.

Napoli have won their last 11 Serie A matches, with no team having bettered that since Juventus strung 12 together in a row from December 2017 to March 2018.

Martinez has a strong track record against the Naples giants, having scored four goals against them in Serie A, including the third Inter goal in a 3-2 win in this fixture last season. He has only hit more against Salernitana (five) and Cagliari (eight), and three of those four goals have come at San Siro.

He has seven goals in the league already this season.

Inter will be hoping the seven-week break for the World Cup means Napoli are knocked out of their stride, allowing Inzaghi's team to make a whirlwind start to the year.

"We can't wait to start again, we want to take to the field,," Inzaghi said. "Last year it was an exciting match that gave us great impetus.

"It's a very important match where the tension will probably be more on our side but the beauty of football is being able to play matches like this.

"There are 23 games left to go so there are lots of points up for grabs and Inter like others who are chasing have the desire to shorten the lead on what is currently the best team in Europe."

Inzaghi brushed off questioning about Milan Skriniar's future, with the Inter defender now in the final six months of his contract.

"He's an extraordinary boy who gives everything on the pitch," Inzaghi said. "Apart from him, there are several players whose contracts are about to expire, but I know there is a strong club that is always by my side and working for the best in all situations."

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi attributed Andre Onana's suspension by Cameroon at the World Cup to a "misunderstanding".

The 26-year-old Nerazzurri goalkeeper was dropped for his country's second group game against Serbia, subsequently leaving Qatar before their final game against Brazil.

Onana issued a statement in the wake of his shock demotion, which Cameroon team officials put down to undisclosed "disciplinary reasons".

Reports suggested Onana's omission came after a disagreement with boss Rigobert Song over his playing style in the 1-0 loss against Switzerland, when he had the most touches outside the box by a goalkeeper ever recorded in a World Cup match (26).

Inzaghi has spoken to Onana since his departure and does not believe he has been affected by the situation.

"I've spoken to all the guys involved in the World Cup," he said. "We have four who made it to the quarter-finals.

"Romelu Lukaku and Onana are out; they will arrive between Friday and Saturday and join the group. Physically they are all fine, we are expecting them.

"There was a misunderstanding that he [Onana] paid for, but I spoke to him and he is calm.

"I can talk about what happened at Inter. He's a positive guy; when he had to be on the bench he stayed there, when he had to play he played.

"On Friday he'll be in Appiano and will start working with us."

Inzaghi also had his say on Lukaku, who endured a torrid time as Belgium crashed out in the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Croatia in their final game.

The Inter striker was brought on at half-time by Red Devils boss Roberto Martinez, but conspired to miss a host of wonderful chances to win the game for his side.

"Clearly he was disappointed," Inzaghi added. "It's a World Cup and he cares so much about his national team.

"He played 45 minutes and he had three chances. If you are getting the chances, a striker has to stay calm."

Inter return to Serie A action on January 4 against Napoli, but have friendlies against Salzburg, Real Betis, Reggina and Sassuolo before then.

Simone Inzaghi apologised for Derby d'Italia defeat to Juventus but insisted he welcomes pressure after Inter responded with a resounding victory over Bologna on Wednesday.

Inter were under scrutiny heading to San Siro after a 2-0 reverse in Turin on Sunday and fell behind to Bologna after Charalampos Lykogiannis's fortuitous 22nd-minute opener.

But the reigning Serie A champions bounced back in style, with Federico DiMarco scoring a brace along with goals for Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu and Robin Gosens in a 6-1 win.

A dominant performance saw Inter climb into the top four and move within three points of second-placed Milan, with Inzaghi suggesting the pressure that followed the defeat to Juventus does not affect him.

"I was very sorry for Sunday's defeat. I have always had pressure since I played, and then as a coach," the Inter boss told DAZN after the game. 

"There is an excellent relationship with the management, we always talk to each other in victories and defeats.

"What pleases me is that, in victories and defeats, I have a management – and I am speaking of the directors [Beppe] Marotta, [Piero] Ausilio, and [Dario] Baccin – that are very transparent.

"I like them – they are direct and if they need to tell you something, they say it clearly. I have an excellent relationship with them."

Kristjan Asllani and Roberto Gagliardini both played important roles as substitutes in the absence of the injured Marcelo Brozovic and Romelu Lukaku, with Inzaghi highlighting the importance of squad depth.

"It's never easy for us coaches. We make choices every day. We played 20 games, 18 without Lukaku and 14 without Brozovic, two very important players for us," he said. 

"We have missed them but thanks to everyone we have made an amazing path in the Champions League.

"In the league we have lost some points that hurt us but now we have to transfer what we do at San Siro to the games away from home."

Inter visit Atalanta on Sunday for their final Serie A match before the World Cup break as they aim to cut the gap on leaders Napoli, who they trail by 11 points.

Inter responded to Sunday's Derby d'Italia defeat to Juventus by crushing Bologna 6-1 at San Siro, with Federico Dimarco's double helping the Nerazzurri climb into Serie A's top four.

Inter were up against it when Charalampos Lykogiannis benefited from a fortunate deflection to hand Bologna the lead on Wednesday, but Edin Dzeko swiftly equalised with a well-taken volley.

Wing-back Dimarco then produced two excellent finishes either side of Lautaro Martinez's flicked effort as Inter put Thiago Motta's sorry visitors to the sword.

Simone Inzaghi's men – who moved within three points of second-placed Milan with the victory – were not done there, with Hakan Calhanoglu and Robin Gosens adding further gloss to the scoreline.

Bologna went close through Musa Barrow and Marko Arnautovic early on and led when Riccardo Orsolini's 22nd-minute shot deflected off Lykogiannis and into the bottom-right corner.

Inter responded brilliantly to that setback, however, finding the net three times in the next 20 minutes.

Dzeko instigated the turnaround with an outstanding right-footed volley from near the edge of the area, before Dimarco left Lukasz Skorupski with no chance when he drilled a free-kick into the bottom-left corner.

The Nerazzurri then extended their lead as half-time approached, with Martinez flicking Calhanoglu's corner home at the near post to take the game away from Bologna.

Dzeko nodded against the crossbar as Inter chased a fourth after the restart, but Dimarco was not to be denied a minute later when he cut in from the right before producing a cool finish. 

Joaquin Sosa's handball then allowed Hakan Calhanoglu to slot in a 59th-minute penalty, before Gosens completed the rout by converting Dzeko's cut-back with 14 minutes remaining.

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi remains hopeful of a title charge despite Sunday's 2-0 loss to Juventus leaving them 11 points off the pace in Serie A.

The Nerazzurri were downed in the Derby d'Italia by second-half goals from Adrien Rabiot and Nicolo Fagioli, snapping their four-game winning run.

The Bianconeri climb above Inter into fifth, while Inzaghi's side slid down to seventh on 24 points from 13 games, well behind leaders Napoli.

"There are 25 games to go from now to the end," Inzaghi told reporters about their title prospects.

"This is a defeat that slows us down a lot with the progress of this championship but we must be good at putting this defeat behind us immediately.

"We have to improve in these matches, the performance has been there but we have to be better."

Inzaghi added to DAZN: "At this moment, Inter must focus on becoming more consistent. We were coming off four consecutive victories, we are back on the field in a couple of days and a defeat like this can leave some psychological scars, as it was an important match.

"We had been able to score in 24 consecutive Serie A matches, this time unfortunately we were unable to."

Scoring goals has not been an issue for Inter, but conceding them has, shipping 19 from 13 games this campaign, which is the equal sixth worst in Serie A.

The Nerazzurri have conceded 16 of those 19 goals away from home which is the leakiest record in Serie A, having managed only nine points from seven away league games this term.

"We played the most complicated games away," Inzaghi said, having travelled to Lecce, Lazio, Milan, Udinese, Sassuolo, Fiorentina and Juventus this Serie A season.

"Clearly we need to improve in the big matches and in the goals scored. Juve shot three times on goal and scored two goals and one hit the post. We shot eight, nine times, with clearer chances and we didn't score.

"This is a defeat that slows us down, that hurts and for what we have seen on the pitch it is not deserved. It's regret having ended the first half at 0-0."

Nicolo Fagioli marked his first Serie A start with a crucial goal as Juventus clinched a 2-0 win over Derby d'Italia rivals Inter in Turin, leapfrogging the Nerazzurri in the Serie A table.

Juventus and Inter entered Sunday's match 13 and 11 points adrift of the Serie A summit respectively, but the Nerazzurri began with more urgency and missed several clear chances before half-time.

However, Allegri's hosts improved after Adrien Rabiot's side-footed finish put them ahead against the run of play, and 21-year-old midfielder Fagioli made the points safe with a late deflected effort. 

The result lifted Juventus above Inter into Serie A's top five, leaving Simone Inzaghi's men – runners-up last term – languishing in seventh place.

Lautaro Martinez hammered a left-footed volley wide as Inter started well, before Bremer hit the side-netting when Juventus created a rare opening at the other end.

Edin Dzeko headed wide of the top-left corner as the home crowd began to grow frustrated, and Denzel Dumfries should have put Inter ahead when firing over from six yards out as half-time approached.

Inter again went close again when Hakan Calhanoglu forced Wojciech Szczesny into an acrobatic save from range, but Juventus punished their profligacy as Rabiot turned Filip Kostic's cut-back into the bottom-right corner after 52 minutes.

That goal lifted Juventus, who were denied a second goal when a VAR review spotted a handball by Danilo following his volleyed finish, before Szczesny denied Martinez with his legs.

The Bianconeri went close to doubling their lead through Kostic, who saw his shot turned onto the post by Andre Onana, but the Serbian turned provider once more as Juventus wrapped up the win, teeing up Fagioli for his dream goal.

Romelu Lukaku will not play again for Inter before going to the World Cup with Belgium, Simone Inzaghi has confirmed.

Lukaku's return to San Siro on loan this season has been disrupted by injury.

The Chelsea striker has been limited to just 255 minutes of action across five appearances in all competitions, starting three matches and scoring once.

Lukaku made his comeback from a thigh problem against Viktoria Plzen late last month but was quickly ruled out again.

Coach Inzaghi was initially hopeful Inter would see Lukaku before the Serie A season breaks for the World Cup, but he has now accepted defeat.

The Nerazzurri play Juventus on Sunday, then both Bologna and Atalanta next week.

Lukaku will hope to feature when Belgium begin their Qatar 2022 campaign against Canada on November 23.

Speaking ahead of the Derby d'Italia, Inzaghi said: "We will be without him, without [Danilo] D'Ambrosio and with [Alessandro] Bastoni to evaluate because he had a fever.

"It is normal for a coach to want to have all his weapons, but we know that playing so much there are difficulties in organising with all the team.

"Lukaku will do another test next week; unlike last time, I can say that I don't think he will be there for the last game.

"I'm sorry, because he worked so hard to be there. We will wait for him after the break, because we know he can give us a great hand."

Inter are sixth in Serie A and Juve eighth heading into Sunday's game, but Inzaghi does not believe their title hopes are on the line.

"We know how much it matters, but we also know that there are 25 games to go," he said. "In a week, there will be a break for the World Cup, and then there will be more than one round.

"We know how important it is, but also how long there is until the end. Tomorrow is very important for both [teams], yes."