Simone Inzaghi will hope for calm and a win for Inter Milan when they travel to take on Salernitana to keep hold of a top-four place.
Salernitana find themselves with a healthy cushion of nine points over 18th place Hellas Verona and will hope to extend that gap further against Inter Milan on Friday. Since beating Monza back in February, they have only managed four straight draws on either side of the international break.
Having twice led against Bologna, Salernitana could only watch as their opponents came back into the game. After that, a stalemate away to Spezia has brought them to a pivotal home game as they host Inter Milan.
Paulo Sousa will look at their horrendous record against Inter Milan and hope to correct it to some extent. Having already defeated this opponent in the reverse fixture, Salernitana has conceded 12 goals in their last three meetings with the Nerazzurri, including two 5-0 defeats last season.
Simone Inzaghi will hope for his team to maintain their streak against this specific opponent as he seeks some calm after the midweek chaos. Inter Milan ended a volatile clash with rivals Juventus in the Coppa Italia semifinals.
π¨ Serie A have imposed the following sanctions on Juventus and Inter Milan:
β‘οΈ Lukaku: 1 match suspension
β‘οΈ Handanovic: 1 match suspension + β¬10,000 fine
β‘οΈ Cuadrado: 3 game suspension + β¬10,000 fine
β‘οΈ Closure of the "South Grandstand" for 1 match pic.twitter.com/GPUCoXySiD— Football Tweet β½ξ¨ (@Football__Tweet) April 6, 2023
As Juventus seemed to have snatched a late goal and headed towards the finish line, Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty deep into stoppage time. The aftermath of the goal and the following celebrations saw the Belgian sent off for a second yellow, and then chaos ensued.
Simone will hope things have calmed down, and they can now focus on league matters, where things are not going well. Since beating Spezia on 5th March, Inter have suffered three consecutive defeats. Those results have pushed them from a terrific spot on the table into the pressurised top-four race.
Team News & Tactics
Salernitana
All eyes at the stadium will focus on Boulaye Dia. The forward has ten goals and four assists this season while also netting twice during the international break. The winger will form part of the attacking setup, seeing Krzysztof Piatek lead the line.
π±π» ππΌπππππππΌππΌ – πππππ: ππΌππΎπ πππππππ π±π»
Le statistiche, i precedenti, le rose, le curiositΓ e tutti i dati aggiornati nel Match Preview di Salernitana β Inter π https://t.co/GnsbDTrL29#SalernitanaInter #macteanimo #forzagranata pic.twitter.com/GpVLswEsEv
— US Salernitana 1919 (@OfficialUSS1919) April 5, 2023
Regarding injuries, Pasquale Mazzocchi and Domen Crnigoj are doubtful for the Inter Milan clash. Beyond that, Paulo Sousa will have the rest of the squad available for the game.
Like Inter, Sousa likes to field a back three with Flavius Daniliuc, Norbert Gyomber and Lorenzo Pirola, the preferred pairing in central defence. Captain Federico Fazio will remain an option from the bench if needed.
A midfield four, including wing-backs, will see Emil Bohinen and Lassana Coulibaly field in the centre of the pitch. Junior Sambia will take up the right wing-back role, while Domagoj Bradaric will start on the left flank. With Piatek leading the line, he will have Dia and Antonio Candreva in support behind him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3):Β Ochoa; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola; Sambia, Bohinen, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Piatek, Dia
Inter Milan
Despite the red cards to Romelu Lukaku and Samir Handanovic, the pair can play their Serie A clashes. They will serve the suspension during the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. With the goalkeeper unlikely to start ahead of Andre Onana, the Belgian might remain on the bench.
Back at Appiano Gentile π#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/KeasmddvIy
— Inter (@Inter_en) April 5, 2023
Edin Dzeko and Joaquin Correa are in contention to begin the game alongside Lautaro Martinez. On the injury front, there are a few significant doubts about the Salernitana clash. Hakan Calhanoglu, Milan Skriniar and Danilo D’Ambrosio are carrying problems.
D’Ambrosio is certainly out of the picture, but the other two might fight to stay fit and get involved at some stage in the game. D’Ambrosio also serves the second of a two-match Serie A ban. Francesco Acerbi could start in the backline alongside Alessandro Bastoni and Darmian.
Martinez and Correa could provide the attacking onus in a front-two setup, with Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan providing support from midfield.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2):Β Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Correa
Key Stats
- Salernitana have conceded 12 goals in their last three Serie A clashes with Inter Milan.
- Salernitana have drawn their last four Serie A games in a row.
- Inter Milan have lost their last three Serie games in a row.
- Inter Milan have won only twice in their last six Serie A games.
- Inter Milan are in fourth place above AS Roma only on goal difference.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
It is weird when a team in top form suddenly stops performing and needs inspiration from somewhere. Incidentally, the lack of goals could explain Inter Milan’s stuttering form, with the Nerazzurri losing three consecutive games in the league.
Lautaro Martinez is key to their chances. And now, it is more than necessary for the Argentine to regain some form. Inter are now in the thick of a top-four race and must remain on their toes if they want to clinch a Champions League spot.
Prediction
Salernitana 1-1 Inter Milan
Salernitana are not in the best of places with their league position. However, their nine-point cushion over 18th-placed Hellas Verona eases the pressure on Paulo Sousa’s men. Their primary objective against any of the top teams would point towards getting a draw than opening their defences up, thus risking that single point.
Like in the last few games barring the Bologna clash, Salernitana have shown defensive resilience. Meanwhile, Inter Milan are struggling for relevance and risk losing their top-four status with another set of dropped points. Their performances point towards a fruitless draw on Friday, although they could surprise many.
