Inter Milan make their first away trip of the new Serie A season on Sunday evening when they travel to Sardinia to face Cagliari at the Unipol Domus.
Both teams arrive with maximum points after impressive opening-weekend victories. Inter swept Monza aside 4-1 at San Siro, while Cagliari earned a notable victory away to Parma. However, the recent history of this fixture overwhelmingly favours the reigning champions.
Cristian Chivu could hardly have asked for a more convincing start to the new campaign. After guiding Inter to a superb domestic double last season, winning both the Serie A title and Coppa Italia, expectations have inevitably risen. His team responded to those expectations by producing an emphatic 4-1 victory over Monza on the opening weekend.
Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range effort before Monza briefly restored parity. Inter’s quality eventually told, though, as Yann Bisseck, Piotr Zielinski, and Pio Esposito struck after the interval to turn the contest into a comfortable victory.
Inter were excellent travellers last season, recording 13 victories from 19 away league matches, although they have surprisingly failed to win their opening away fixture in each of the previous two campaigns. Chivu will be determined to end that sequence and maintain the momentum generated by an excellent opening performance.
Cagliari will have little reason to approach this game with fear after making an excellent start themselves. Fabio Pisacane’s team defeated Parma away from home on the opening weekend, registering the club’s first opening-day Serie A victory since 2013. The result was deserved rather than fortunate. Cagliari struck the woodwork three times before Alessandro Romano eventually produced a superb finish on his league debut for the club.
Last season was his first in senior management, yet he guided the Rossoblu to 14th place, their highest Serie A finish in nine years. His work was rewarded with a contract extension until 2028, and Cagliari appear increasingly comfortable with the identity their young coach has established. Including the closing stages of last season, the Sardinian side have now won four consecutive competitive matches.
Inter, however, represent a considerable step up in quality and history heavily favours the Nerazzurri as few fixtures in Serie A have been as one-sided in recent years. Inter have collected an extraordinary 28 points from the last 30 available against Cagliari, averaging approximately 2.6 goals per match during that sequence.
The Nerazzurri have won their last six away games against Cagliari, while the Rossoblu have failed to score in each of the most recent three encounters between the teams on the island. That history presents Pisacane with a significant tactical dilemma.
Cagliari’s encouraging start suggests they should trust their own strengths, but becoming too adventurous against Inter could prove costly. Chivu’s side possess enough technical quality to play through pressure and enough pace and movement to punish spaces left behind.
The hosts will therefore need to remain compact, protect central areas and make Inter work patiently for opportunities. Set pieces and quick transitions may represent Cagliari’s best route towards threatening the champions. Their confidence should also ensure this is more competitive than some recent meetings between the clubs.
Inter, meanwhile, do not necessarily need to force the contest. Their superior depth allows them to remain patient, circulate possession and gradually increase the pressure. The visitors also demonstrated against Monza that goals can arrive from several areas of the team.
With Bisseck, Zielinski and Esposito all joining Calhanoglu on the scoresheet, opponents cannot simply concentrate on neutralising one attacking threat. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up and what tactics they might employ on the day.
Cagliari remain without Yael Trepy, who is recovering after a serious recent medical emergency, while Riyad Idrissi continues to be sidelined as a long-term absentee. Sebastiano Esposito is also expected to depart for Sassuolo, reducing Fabio Pisacane’s attacking options. The encouraging news is that Trepy has now left hospital and begun the next stage of his recovery.
Pisacane is expected to retain the 4-3-2-1 shape that worked well in the opening victory over Parma. Elia Caprile should start in goal, with Ze Pedro, Yerry Mina, Juan Rodriguez, and Adam Obert forming the back four. Mina’s inclusion would provide valuable experience and physicality against Inter’s powerful attack, although Alessandro Deiola is another option in central defence.
In midfield, Michel Adopo, Harry Winks, and Alessandro Romano should form a compact trio. Winks will be responsible for dictating possession from deeper areas, while Adopo provides ball-winning ability and physical protection. Romano, fresh from scoring the winner against Parma, offers more freedom to advance and attack spaces around Inter’s midfield.
Further forward, Daniel Maldini and Jacopo Fazzini should operate in the two supporting roles behind Paul Mendy. Maldini is particularly important because of his ability to receive between the lines and carry the ball forward, while Fazzini can drift into wider areas and help Cagliari overload midfield.
Mendy should serve as the focal point of the attack, using his physical presence to hold up possession and provide an outlet when Cagliari are forced deeper. Pisacane is unlikely to ask his side to press Inter recklessly. Instead, the hosts should remain compact, deny central spaces and look to attack quickly after turnovers.
The biggest tactical challenge will be preventing Inter from establishing sustained possession around the penalty area. Cagliari will therefore need Winks, Adopo and Romano to remain disciplined, while Maldini and Fazzini must work back when Inter’s wing-backs advance.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Caprile; Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez, Obert; Adopo, Winks, Romano; Maldini, Fazzini; Mendy
Inter Milan receive a welcome boost with Henrikh Mkhitaryan returning from suspension, while Marcus Thuram and summer signing Curtis Jones have resumed full training and should be available for selection. Djed Spence, however, is still working his way back to full fitness, so Andy Diouf is expected to continue in the right wing-back role.
Cristian Chivu should stick with his preferred 3-5-2 formation, with Josep Martinez in goal behind a back three of Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni. Bisseck’s athleticism and ability to step into midfield will complement Akanji’s composure and Bastoni’s progressive passing from the left.
In midfield, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Piotr Zielinski should give Inter an excellent balance of intensity, control and creativity. Calhanoglu will sit deepest and dictate the tempo, while Barella provides vertical running and pressing. Zielinski can operate slightly higher, finding pockets between Cagliari’s midfield and defence.
With Spence still not ready to start, Diouf should again provide width on the right, while Federico Dimarco remains one of Inter’s biggest attacking weapons from the opposite flank. Dimarco’s delivery and ability to arrive in advanced positions will be particularly important if Cagliari defend deep.
Up front, Lautaro Martinez is certain to start and should be partnered by Pio Esposito, although Thuram is now available to challenge for that place. The skipper is especially dangerous in this fixture, having scored 12 goals in 12 Serie A appearances against Cagliari, and his movement around the penalty area will be a major concern for the hosts.
Inter are likely to dominate possession and push both wing-backs high, effectively pinning Cagliari into a back five when the hosts are without the ball. The key will be how quickly Barella and Zielinski can find Lautaro between the lines, while Bastoni’s passing from deep should help Chivu’s side bypass the first line of pressure.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Josep Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Esposito, Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez is undoubtedly the player to watch for Inter Milan. The captain remains the focal point of Cristian Chivu’s attack, combining intelligent movement, aggressive pressing and clinical finishing with an ability to link effectively with his strike partner.
Cagliari are also one of Martinez’s favourite opponents. The Argentine has scored a remarkable 12 goals in 12 Serie A appearances against the Sardinian club, making his individual record particularly difficult to ignore ahead of this encounter.
His movement could cause serious problems for Cagliari’s backline. Rather than remaining permanently between the centre-backs, he frequently drops into deeper positions before making sharp runs into the penalty area, creating space for Pio Esposito and Inter’s advancing midfielders. After finishing last season as the Serie A Capocannoniere with 17 league goals, the Inter captain will once again carry much of the champions’ goalscoring responsibility.
Cagliari deserve considerable credit for their development under Fabio Pisacane, and four consecutive competitive victories suggest they will provide Inter with a genuine examination. Nevertheless, the match0up remains difficult to look beyond.
Inter possess greater quality throughout the pitch, were formidable away from home last season and have completely dominated this particular fixture in recent years. Cagliari may keep things tight initially, but once the champions find the breakthrough, the hosts could be forced to open up and leave additional spaces.
