A referee with a track record Inter fans won’t mind seeing again has been handed the whistle for the Derby d’Italia. Andrea Colombo, 34 and from Como, will take charge of Juventus vs Inter on Saturday. It’s his eighth Inter assignment. The previous seven? Six Nerazzurri wins and one defeat — a tight loss at Bologna in April, decided by a late Riccardo Orsolini strike after a disputed throw-in.
The appointment drops a layer of intrigue on a game that rarely needs it. Rivalry, title stakes, high emotion — all baked in. Add a referee whose Inter sample reads six wins from seven, and you get a talking point before a ball is kicked. Is it signal or noise? History in these fixtures says this: the whistle’s tone can shape a Derby d’Italia more than most matches, especially in the first 15 minutes.
The numbers behind the whistle
Colombo’s recent data is clear and simple. Last season he worked 16 Serie A matches. Across those games he showed 68 yellow cards, 2 red cards, and awarded 2 penalties. That breaks down to about 4.25 yellows per match, a red roughly every eight games, and a penalty about once every eight matches. Nothing extreme there. No flood of reds. No penalty spree. It reads like a referee who won’t tilt a game through constant spot-kicks or mass dismissals.
Inter’s record with Colombo jumps out because of the streak: six straight wins before the Bologna loss halted it in April. That defeat was messy in the margins. Orsolini’s late winner followed a Juan Miranda throw-in that sparked protests about where the restart was taken. Inter argued the throw came several steps ahead of the correct spot. The goal stood. Bologna took the points. The streak died.
Does that history matter for a derby? It depends on your view of refereeing trends. Seven matches is a small sample in a league with countless variables: form, injuries, tactics, and luck. Referees don’t score goals; they create the conditions. Where Colombo can shape this one is game temperature — when to book, when to talk, when to let contact ride. With 4.25 yellows per game last season, he’ll caution when needed, but the numbers don’t scream hair trigger.
Inter will remember the comfort of those six wins. Juventus will note the single blemish and wonder if it hints at a tighter contest under his watch. Coaches and captains study this stuff. Not because it guarantees outcomes, but because it helps plan for rhythms: when to press, when to slow down, how hard to push transitions before the first booking.
If you’re looking for signals, here’s what Colombo’s 2023–24 profile tells us:
- 16 Serie A matches officiated
- 68 yellow cards (about 4.25 per match)
- 2 red cards (about one in eight matches)
- 2 penalties (about one in eight matches)
That penalty number stands out. Two in 16 is low for a season’s workload. It suggests the box won’t decide this unless the foul is clear. So the set-piece choreography might matter more than spot-kicks. Corners, second balls, the chaos around the six-yard line — those scraps could be decisive if the referee is not reaching for the spot often.
Expect a close read on dissent as well. The Bologna flashpoint from April will live in the memory of both teams. Restarts, encroachment, and throw-in positioning could be under extra scrutiny. In a derby where every inch gets contested, Colombo will need to draw early lines: how far to allow the retake dance, how quickly to wave play on, when to book for delaying restarts. Once that standard is set, players adjust.
How it could shape Juventus vs Inter
These games hinge on tempo and territory. Inter often thrive when they can press in waves and then switch play into space for runners. Juventus lean into structure, compact lines, and quick breaks. A referee who keeps the game flowing helps pressing teams and countering teams in different ways. Fewer stoppages can fuel Inter’s rhythm; quick restarts can also suit Juventus if they spring forward while defenders complain.
In duels, watch the thresholds. How much contact is allowed in aerial contests between a striker like Marcus Thuram and a defender like Gleison Bremer? How are midfield tugs judged when Nicolo Barella and Manuel Locatelli fight for second balls? Early calls tell players where the limits are. An early yellow for a tactical foul changes the next 70 minutes. A warning without a card lets the duel breathe — until it doesn’t.
The benches matter too. Touchline control can tilt the mood on the pitch. If Colombo clamps down on backchat, the captains become crucial. Calm heads like Lautaro Martínez and Danilo can lower the noise if they sense the temperature rising. Expect a focus on managing mass appeals at corners and free kicks. A derby lives off emotion; the referee survives it by narrowing the arguments to the next kick of the ball.
VAR will sit in the background — present for offsides, potential handballs, and penalty-area tangles. Colombo’s low penalty count hints he won’t go hunting for an intervention, but if the replay shows clear contact or a clear arm out of position, the decision arrives. The important bit is consistency: the same bar for both ends, the same standard from minute 5 to minute 85.
One subplot: how he handles advantage. If Colombo is quick to play on after fouls, runners like Federico Chiesa and Denzel Dumfries come alive. Nothing stings defenders more than seeing an attack allowed to continue after a borderline clip they thought would stop play. Conversely, if he’s strict on pull-backs and tactical fouls, midfield screening becomes riskier, especially for players already on a booking.
Context always dwarfs any single stat line. Inter’s six wins with Colombo reflect days when their plan worked and their finishing landed. Juventus have enough structure and steel to bend a referee’s tone to their tempo, especially at home or when protecting a lead. The biggest tell in this derby will arrive early: that first borderline tackle, the first protest, the first warning or card. From there, patterns set like concrete.
Appointment optics matter in Italy, and so does the memory of controversy. The Bologna finale from April — the throw-in steps, the protests, the late sting — ensures both sides know the margins. That can be healthy. It sharpens focus. Players mark their yards. Ballboys move faster. And the referee, aware of the narrative around him, knows that a clean, consistent line is the best answer to pre-match chatter.
Strip away the noise and it’s simple. Colombo’s record with Inter is strong, but it doesn’t play the match. His 2023–24 numbers suggest control without excess, a whistle that doesn’t decide games through constant penalties or cards. For a Derby d’Italia, that’s not a bad place to start. The rest will be down to finishing, set pieces, and who wins the duels that count.
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