Juventus vs. Inter Milan: The Return of Old Enemy Christian Chivu

TURIN, SATURDAY – Wherever Christian Chivu goes, Igor Tudor is always there. After retiring, the two formidable Serie A defenders from the early third millennium have returned to competition as coaches. Tudor, Chivu's long-time rival, seeks to improve his head-to-head record as Juventus hosts Inter Milan at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday (13/9/2025) at 23:00 WIB.

Chivu has a better meeting record compared to Tudor. The two faced each other once as coaches in April 2025. At that time, Chivu was still managing Parma, while Tudor had already been entrusted with handling Juventus. The first encounter between the two former defenders as coaches ended with a smile from Chivu, who led Parma to a narrow 1-0 victory over Juventus. This victory played a crucial role in saving Parma from the brink of relegation.

The battle between the two top Serie A coaches is an extension of their rivalry during their active playing days. Both playing as center-backs, Chivu has faced Tudor on the field four times. Their first encounter ended in a draw, when Roma was held to a 2-2 draw by Juventus in the 2003-2004 season.

In their second meeting of the season, Chivu managed to lead Roma to a 4-0 victory at their home ground, the Olimpico Stadium in Rome. In the following season, Tudor was loaned to Siena. The Croatian passport holder was part of Siena's impressive 2-0 victory when they visited Rome.

The fourth and final meeting between the two as players occurred during the 2005-2006 season, when Tudor was still on loan at Siena. Unfortunately for Tudor, Chivu once again outperformed him by leading Roma to a 2-0 victory in that encounter.

Inter is a great team. They have mature and experienced players.

The victory in their first meeting as coaches further solidified Chivu's dominance over Tudor. Having repeatedly defeated Tudor as a player, Chivu has proven to be superior in terms of crafting tactics. Undoubtedly, the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter serves as the perfect stage for Tudor to avenge his defeats against Chivu. This determination was also expressed by Tudor during the press conference ahead of the match.

"Inter is a great team. They have mature and experienced players. We'll talk. We want to focus on our strengths and then improve our weaknesses. In the end, we'll see who's better," Tudor said, as quoted by Football Italia, Friday (September 12, 2025).

Despite having a worse meeting record, Tudor has managed to lead Juventus to maintain perfection until the second week of Serie A. "The Old Lady" has secured two consecutive victories without conceding a single goal and has scored three goals.

The opposite situation was experienced by Chivu, who has just suffered his first defeat of the season at home against Udinese. Inter failed to maintain an impressive start to the season after a resounding five-goal victory without reply against Torino in the Serie A opening match.

Although he has already experienced defeat in the second week, Chivu does not see it as a significant issue. For him, competing in the league is akin to running a marathon that requires consistency and endurance until the end.

"We know how this season goes, winning and losing, it doesn't matter when. This (Serie A) is like a marathon. There are 38 matches. We all know the importance of the match against Juventus. We must accept the reality that when things are not going well, we need to rise and work hard because we need to learn from our mistakes and move forward with the right mentality, personality, and courage. This is how we grow," said Chivu as quoted from the Inter website.

Inconsistent results at the beginning of the season indicate that Chivu still needs time to perfect the legacy of Simone Inzaghi. The coaching transition has indeed gone smoothly as they are accustomed to the three-back system. However, the playing styles of Chivu and Inzaghi differ significantly in several aspects. Inzaghi tends to favor ball possession dominance balanced with solid defense. Meanwhile, Chivu shows signs of transforming Inter into a team that plays more vertically and unpredictably.

That playing style will pose a threat to the solid defense of Juventus, organized by defender Gleison Bremer. The Brazilian defender is crucial for Tudor in many respects. He can serve as a role model both as a player and a leader. The charisma of players like Bremer is greatly needed by Juventus to control the team.

If Tudor has Bremer, Chivu has a similar tough defender in Manuel Akanji. The Swiss national team player, who recently transferred from Manchester City, is almost certain to make his debut against Juventus. Akanji's presence is a breath of fresh air for Inter's defense, which has started to weaken following their defeat to Udinese.

"Akanji is an important player with international value and reputation. It is essential for all players to contribute to achieving our goals. The players I have are the best, and I am satisfied with them. Akanji is ready to play," said Chivu.