Inter Milan vs Sampdoria Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Inter Milan welcome Sampdoria to the San Siro on the final matchday of the Serie A season with the league title on the line.

Inter Milan are still mathematically in the Serie A title race but not the favourites to make it two in two years. They welcome Sampdoria to the San Siro fully aware that only a win could get them anywhere close to the Scudetto.

They are currently second in the Serie A table with 81 points, two points off league-leaders AC Milan, who travel to Sassuolo at the same time. The Nerazzurri were well on course for a domestic treble, having won the Copa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, but a 2-1 defeat to Bologna last month derailed their title pursuit, giving Milan the lead.

Inter have lost just once in their last ten matches across competitions, and come into the Sampdoria encounter on the back of a 3-1 victory over Cagliari. Their league form has been highly impressive as well with just one defeat in the last 12 outings. But they will need luck to be on their side as well to complete a historic treble under Simone Inzaghi.

Sampdoria, on the other hand, have had a hugely disappointing season and are currently 15th in the league to follow up from their ninth-placed finish last season. They have lost 21 matches this term in the league, the second-most defeats behind bottom-placed Venezia.

Their league form doesn’t do much to convince their fans of a positive finish to the season either. They have two wins and two defeats in their last five league matches, and three wins and six defeats in the last ten. They come into the Inter encounter on the back of an assuring 4-1 win over Fiorentina, which came with ten men. This will give Sampdoria some confidence to end the season with a win.

Team News & Tactics

Inter Milan

Simone Inzaghi will have the full squad at his disposal in this crucial last match of the season. Despite going all the way in all three domestic competitions, the Nerazzurri have done well to enter the final match of their season without any injury issues.

Inzaghi will continue with a 3-5-2 and could go in with a similar XI that started against Cagliari. Samir Handanovic will take his spot between the sticks with a back three of Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni in front of him.

Matteo Darmian could be the only player to miss out with Denzel Dumfries taking his place as the right wing-back. Ivan Perisic will man the other flank with the midfield three of Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu forming the three-man partnership in the centre of the park.

Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez will lead the line as Inter search for the all-important win and hope Milan lose to Sassuolo.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Martinez, Dzeko

Sampdoria

Marco Giampaolo will be without Omar Colley, who was sent off in their 4-1 win over Fiorentina, Manolo Gabbiadini and Stefano Sensi for the Inter encounter. He will have the rest of the squad available for selection, however.

Giampolo will continue with a 4-1-4-1 that helped him get the better of Fiorentina. Emil Audero is expected to continue in goal for the visitors with Bartosz Bereszynski, Alex Ferrari, Maya Yoshida and Tommaso Augello forming the four-man defence.

Ronaldo Vieira will sit back to shield his defence behind a four-strong midfield of Antonio Candreva, Tomas Rincon, Morten Thorsby and Abdelhamid Sabiri. Fabio Quagliarella could keep his spot in the XI after getting on the scoresheet last time out.

The contest between Candreva and Perisic on Sampdoria’s right flank could be the one battle to watch out for in the encounter.

Probable Line-up (4-1-4-1): Audero; Bereszynski, Ferrari, Yoshida, Augello; Vieira; Candreva, Thorsby, Rincon, Sabiri; Quagliarella

Key Stats

• Inter have won 22 of their last 40 encounters against Sampdoria.
• The reverse fixture between the two sides earlier this season finished in a 2-2 draw.
• Recent encounters between the two sides have been high-scoring affairs with both teams scoring at least one in each of their last six match-ups.
• The last time Sampdoria beat Inter Milan at San Siro was back in 2017. Fabio Quagliarella was on the scoresheet for Sampdoria in that match.
• Inter have scored in each of their last 10 encounters against Sampdoria.

Player to Watch

Ivan Perisic

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This could be Ivan Perisic’s last outing with Inter Milan with the Croatian being linked with a move to Chelsea this summer on a free deal. He could thus be fired up to leave on a high. The wing-back has been in red-hot form of late and one can expect him to affect the proceedings at San Siro.

Prediction

Inter 2-1 Sampdoria

With the Serie A title on the line, Inter will come out all guns blazing. But as the last few encounters between these two sides have shown, Sampdoria are expected to hit back. We predict a 2-1 win for the Nerazzurri.