After dropping two crucial points in the race for a top-4 finish away to Monza last weekend, Serie A action returns for Inter as they face lowly Verona today evening at the San Siro.
The Nerazzurri fell short of continuing their winning run after conceding a stoppage-time own goal from right-back Denzel Dumfries in their last Serie A outing. However, they recovered from the disappointing draw to Monza and narrowly progressed to the next round of the Coppa Italia mid-week against Parma. The hosts had to fight for it and defender Francesco Acerbi was the unlikely hero after he headed the rebound from Gianluigi Buffon’s fists in extra time.
Inter currently occupy 4th place in the league standings, 3 points clear of 5th-placed Lazio, and manager Simeone Inzaghi will aim to secure a comfortable win without stressing too much against Verona to stay fresh for the mid-week Supercoppa Italiana final clash against Milan would be critical.
The visitors for this match – Verona, currently occupy 18th place and are 6 points away from safety. They hold the joint-worst defensive record in the league, conceding 30 goals till now in the league and are finding goalscoring problems, completely in contrast to last season’s performances.
An uphill climb awaits manager Salvatore Bocchetti and his men as Inter hold a significant psychological edge over them. The Nerazzurri have stayed unbeaten against them in their last 22 meetings, winning 18 and drawing the other 4, and considering this season’s statistics, it would be very difficult for the Gialloblu to contain Inter’s attacking front.
While Verona could grab a satisfactory win over 20th-placed Cremonese, they will emphasise on snatching a point at the San Siro and keep their survival hopes alive.
Results from their last five matches in all competitions
Inter:
W D W W W
Verona:
W D L L L
Team News
Influential players like Romelu Lukaku, Marcelo Brozovic, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu were rested in Inter’s win against Parma but three of those are fit enough are in contention to start, with Lukaku expected to be out due to injury.
Matteo Darmian will fight for a starting place with Denzel Dumfries in the right-back spot. Edin Dzeko and Milan Skriniar are expected to start.
As for Verona, Marco Faraoni, Kevin Lasagna and Simone Verdi are out for this fixture. Darko Lazovic is expected to start after scoring a brace in his previous outing. Milan Duric is set to lead the attacking front.
Predicted XIs
Inter (3-5-2): Onana; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Gagliardini, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Dzeko
Verona (3-4-2-1): Montipo; Dawidowicz, Hien, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Ilic, Tameze, Doig; Lazovic, Kallon; Djuric
Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN
