Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Serie A showdown between table-topping Inter and top-four hopefuls Atalanta. Both teams head into this clash on the back of defeats in their most recent competitive outings.
Inter missed a golden chance to put the Scudetto race beyond Milan’s reach last Sunday. Indeed, Pervis Estupinan’s first-half strike inspired the Rossoneri to a narrow 1-0 win in the latest edition of the famous Derby della Madonnina, helping Massimiliano Allegri’s side reduce the gap on the Nerazzurri to seven points.
With only ten games left to play, and Milan facing Lazio in the capital tomorrow night, this feels like a decent opportunity for Inter to make a giant step toward winning their 21st Serie A title. Heavily fancied to hold up their end of the bargain, Cristian Chivu’s men will be out to avoid losing back-to-back league games for the first time since mid-September.
Despite Atalanta’s current position in the standings, that task may not be as straightforward as it appears at first glance. However, the visitors must banish their own demons, having slipped to an embarrassing 6-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in midweek Champions League action.
There’s no time to dwell on the past, as they sit five points adrift of fourth-placed Como. Therefore, anything other than an unlikely win at San Siro would significantly derail La Dea’s chances of securing Champions League qualification for next season.
Inter
Milan completed their first league double over Inter since the 2011/12 season last weekend, halting the Nerazzurri’s formidable run of eight consecutive league victories in Serie A. Furthermore, Chivu’s charges remain at San Siro, where they’ve clinched six wins from their last seven top-flight matches as hosts (D1), including a high-profile triumph over Juventus in mid-February.
Despite sorely missing their captain, Lautaro Martinez, Inter will be confident of adding to their impressive 64-goal tally in Serie A this term. Indeed, the runaway leaders have found the net in both halves in ten of their 14 Serie A home games under Chivu. However, they’ve failed to score in their last two competitive outings, meaning they would be naive to take anything for granted.
Particularly dangerous from set pieces, Inter have bagged a league-high 15 goals from corners this season, largely thanks to Federico Dimarco’s unparalleled set-piece prowess. The high-performing Italian wingback has tallied a jaw-dropping 15 assists in Serie A so far this term and will likely be Inter’s main creative outlet as they look to return to winning ways.
Atalanta
Bayern Munich ran riot in Bergamo on Tuesday, condemning Atalanta to their fourth consecutive winless match in all competitions (D2, L2). Worryingly for Raffaele Palladino, his men conceded at least two goals in each of those four games, including a 2-1 defeat at mid-table Sassuolo on their most recent Serie A road trip.
Palladino must address his side’s growing defensive woes if the visitors are to stand a chance at San Siro, where they’ve failed to beat Inter since March 2014. As if Atalanta’s long-standing problems on this ground aren’t troubling enough, they have lost their last seven league meetings with the Nerazzurri. As a result, they could suffer eight consecutive top-flight defeats in this fixture for the first time since the mid-1960s.
Adding to Palladino’s sizeable list of concerns, Atalanta have faltered away from home lately, picking up just three wins from their last 11 road matches in Serie A (D4, L4). La Dea’s misfiring frontline shares part of the blame for that underwhelming run, given that they scored precisely once in seven of those 11 games.
In addition to Lautaro Martinez, Inter will also be without talismanic midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. With El Toro in the pits, Marcus Thuram is likely to partner up with Francesco Pio Eposito in attack. Moreover, Alessandro Bastoni is likely to start on the bench after sustaining a minor injury against Milan last weekend, with Carlos Augusto expected to take his place at the back.
On the other hand, Atalanta will take this trip without Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori. Therefore, Gianluca Scamacca will probably lead the line, with Nicola Zalewski and Lazar Samardzic expected to play behind the Italian striker. This clash will also come too soon for long-term absentee Ederson, who is on the verge of recovery.
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Esposito.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Ahanor; Zappacosta, De Roon, Pasalic, Bernasconi; Samardzic, Zalewski; Scamacca.
Inter’s long-standing dominance in this fixture is too compelling to ignore, especially considering Atalanta’s recent struggles at both ends of the pitch.
Even without Lautaro, the Nerazzurri possess more than enough firepower and creativity to break down the visitors. Given Atalanta’s poor recent record at San Siro and their defensive fragility in recent weeks, Inter should have the upper hand and are well-positioned to claim all three points in front of their home supporters.
Prediction: Inter to Win
