Inter Milan look to extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table as they lock horns with Parma at the Ennio Tardini Stadium on Thursday.
Parma let a two-goal lead slip against Spezia on Saturday and look to be sure candidates for relegation, given their current form. The 19th placed Crociati have found it extremely difficult to win games this season with their last win coming against Genoa on 1st December 2020.
Manager Roberto D’Aversa has a tough battle on his hands to save his club from going to Serie B next season and his men will have to work extremely hard to get anything out of this game against the league leaders.
Inter Milan have been in exceptional form in the league in recent weeks. They have scored 9 goals in their last three games against Lazio, AC Milan and Genoa and look to be in no mood to stop this winning run. The Nerazzurri have won five league games in a row, and are unbeaten in their last eight.
Antonio Conte’s men are four points clear at the top of the table and will want to maintain this gap until the end of the season in order to win the Serie A crown. They will look to get their third away win in a row when they face bottom-placed Parma on Thursday.
The previous meeting between Inter and Parma ended in a 2-2 draw at the San Siro. Ahead of this game, let us take a look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Parma
Roberto D’Aversa will be without forwards Roberto Inglese and Graziano Pelle, as they continue to recuperate from their injuries. The Parma manager, however, will welcome back Mattia Bani and Gaston Brugman after they served a one-game suspension against Spezia.
Luigi Sepe will be Parma’s custodian, with Andrea Conti, Mattia Bani, Riccardo Gagliolo and Giuseppe Pezzella forming the back four.
Brugman will be joined by Hernani and Juraj Kucka in the three-man midfield. Upfront, Andreas Cornelius will be partnered by Yann Karamoah and Gervinho to form the Crociati’s attack.
D’Aversa employs a 4-3-3 formation with Gervinho and Karamoah providing the pace in counter attacks from wide positions. Kucka will be tasked with being the creator while Cornelius plays as a target man.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sepe; Conti, Bani, Gagliolo, Pezzella; Hernani, Brugman, Kucka; Karamoah, Cornelius, Gervinho
Inter Milan
Antonio Conte will have his entire squad to choose from on Thursday, with the exception of Stefano Sensi, who is still recuperating from his injury. Achraf Hakimi will be available for selection after he served a one-game suspension against Genoa last weekend.
?️ | CALENDAR
A look at what's coming up for the Nerazzurri in March ?#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/5keFAo87OJ
— Inter (@Inter_en) March 1, 2021
Samir Handanovic will start in goal and he will be joined by Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni in the three-man defence. Hakimi and Ivan Perisic will play as attacking wing-backs.
The midfield three will consist of man in form Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and Christian Eriksen. Romelu Lukaku will partner with Lautaro Martinez upfront.
Antonio Conte’s famed 3-5-2 formation provides Hakimi and Perisic with the freedom in attack and the duo has been quite instrumental in Nerazzurri’s superb form in recent weeks. Barella and Eriksen play in a more creative role, while Lukaku and Lautaro have been a deadly combination in attack.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Eriksen, Perisic; Martinez, Lukaku
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have won all of their last five games and are currently unbeaten in their last eight.
- Parma have not won a single league game in 2021.
- Inter have won three of their last four away fixtures against Parma in Serie A.
- Romelu Lukaku has 18 goals and 6 assists in the league this season.
- Juraj Kucka is Parma’s best performer this season with 5 goals and 1 assist.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martínez has now scored 13 goals in Serie A this season for Inter Milan.
He's one strike away from tying his personal best record of 14 goals set in 2019/20. pic.twitter.com/ElQ7vWyiet
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 21, 2021
Inter Milan’s Argentinian superstar Lautaro Martinez is a player every top club wished they had in their team. Lautaro’s exceptional close control with the ball at his fast, coupled with his skilful dribbling and deadly finishing abilities make him one of the most complete forwards of the current generation.
The Argentine has 13 goals and 7 assists in the league to his name and his link-up with Romelu Lukaku has been the most fruitful partnership in the Serie A this season. Antonio Conte will want his front-man to keep firing on all cylinders in order to achieve their target of winning the Serie A crown this year.
Prediction
Parma 1-4 Inter Milan
Parma have been in really poor form in 2021 and it looks unlikely that it will be changing anytime soon. Roberto D’Aversa’s men will have play out of their skins to be able to get a result against the Nerazzurri on Thursday.
Inter Milan are in too good a form to miss out on all three points against relegation-threatened Parma. Inter’s attack will be too hot to handle for Parma’s defence and we can expect Lukaku n Lautaro Martinez to be on the scoresheet.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-1 victory for the visitors.