Inter made a narrow escape last week, with a goal from Marcelo Brozović salvaging a 1-0 victory for the Nerazzurri. Now, they travel to Udine to face an in-form Udinese side on Sunday.
Despite losing their Serie A curtain-raiser by a 4-2 scoreline against Milan, Udinese were full of zeal while going against the defending Scudetto winners. Since that opening day defeat, they have been unbeaten, winning all of their last four games on the trot.
On the other hand, Inter have made a shaky start to their season. The dilemma remains that none of the fans knows what they would get from this Inter side on a particular date. Although they won their UEFA Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen 2-0 in the midweek, it was not a completely dominant performance from Simone Inzaghi’s men.
Last five results in all competitions:
Udinese: D-W-W-W-W
Inter: W-L-L-W-W
Team News
When it comes to the team’s fitness issue, Udinese don’t have much to be worried about, with Andrea Sottil missing just two of his men, Adam Masina and Leonardo Buta. Jaka Bijol has returned to the squad, while there remain doubts over the fitness of Jean-Victor Makengo.
Inter have been missing Romelu Lukaku for a long time due to the player’s muscular injury. Hakan Calhanoglu has recently joined him on the treatment table. The Turkey international will miss the next few games with a thigh injury.
Predicted XIs
Udinese (3-5-2): Silvestri; Perez, Becao, Ebosse; Pereyra, Arslan, Walace, Lovric, Udogie; Deulofeu, Beto.
Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Gagliardini, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
A win on Sunday will ensure the top spot in the Serie A points table for Udinese. However, it’s unknown which version of the Nerazzurri they will turn up this weekend. Inter don’t have an easy fixture list after the Udinese game either. And it is believed that they will field their strongest possible XI. The rest depends on their adaptability to the circumstances on the field.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
