On one hand, we have the Argentine with 19 goals in as many games; on the other, the Serbian, the best forward in Europe for the month January.
Sunday night at San Siro, a significant portion of the Scudetto is at stake. Inzaghi and Allegri are contemplating moves and counter-moves to neutralize the opponent. Across many uncertainties, one certainty is the presence on the field of Lautaro Martinez and Dusan Vlahovic, the two strikers upon whose shoulders the fate of Inter and Juventus rests. The two, already protagonists in the lackluster 1-1 draw at the Allianz Stadium in the first leg, are the headline figures in this highly anticipated Derby d’Italia.
Beyond subjective and debatable opinions, the numbers speak clear for both Lautaro and Vlahovic, and numbers never lie. The Argentine is experiencing his best season as a professional and, at 26, has reached full maturity. Captain and great leader, El Toro has taken the team on his shoulders, and his numbers and statistics are truly incredible: 19 goals in as many league games, along with 2 assists, making him a standout performer this season. In the last three games, he scored 4 goals against Verona, Monza, and Fiorentina, in addition to the decisive goal against Napoli in the Supercoppa Final.
Vlahovic, on the other hand, has scored 12 goals in 20 league games, with his season marked by some injuries affecting his performance consistency. The Serbian started well (4 goals and an assist in the first 4 matches), followed by a long drought of 8 games until the match against Inter in Turin. Then, at the end of December, a slow resurgence (a decisive goal against Frosinone coming off the bench and an assist against Roma) until the explosion in January, with 6 goals in 4 games—no one has scored more than him in 2024. Allegri will relie on him to keep the Scudetto hopes alive and exciting.
