Inter Milan will be aiming to get their Serie A campaign back on track when they take on a plucky Sassuolo at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore.
Sassuolo will welcome Inter Milan to the Mapei Stadium in a game that holds much significance to both sides. Both teams are currently on 12 points, and a loss could see them fall away from the European qualification spots, also denting morale so early in the campaign.
Simone Inzaghi’s men have been far from convincing this season and have already lost four of their opening eight games. They trail early trend-setters Napoli by eight points and cannot afford to fall further behind.
The midweek win over Barcelona came at the right time and should act as a morale booster for the Nerazzurri. While Inter did ride their luck at times against the Blaugrana, the fact that they held on for the win should give the players a shot in the arm.
Sassuolo are not Barcelona but are on their day a tricky side to go up against. In fact, they have defeated Inter eight times across 18 meetings in the Serie A so far. This is their joint-highest win tally against any opposition in the Italian top flight alongside Genoa and Sampdoria.
Alessio Dionisi’s side have been uncharacteristically solid at the back, keeping five clean sheets so far this season. This has seen them occupy the eighth spot in Serie A, ahead of Inter in ninth on goal difference.
Inzaghi and co. will thus need to be at the top of their game and cannot afford to let the home side seize the initiative. Unless Inter turn up, the league campaign could take another unwanted turn for the worse. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Sassuolo
⚡️⚡️⚡️#ForzaSasol 🖤💚 pic.twitter.com/aCbDqCuGzK
— U.S. Sassuolo (@SassuoloUS) October 5, 2022
Alessio Dionisi has several injury concerns on the night with Hamed Traore, Mert Muldur and Gregoire Defrel all ruled out until after the FIFA World Cup. The biggest loss will be that of talismanic attacker Domenico Berardi who is still recovering from a muscular injury.
While there is still a chance that Berardi can make it to the matchday squad, it is very likely that he will have to settle for a role off the bench. Being able to bring him on late on could set the cat among the pigeons. It is not all bad news as Pedro Obiang returned to action last week and will be available once again.
Sassuolo were near flawless in their 5-0 thrashing of Salernitana, and the unit as a whole functioned well. Dionisi has little reason to chop and change and could choose to keep the same lineup to face Inter. Changes if any are likely to be minor.
A 4-3-3 lineup gives the home side the flexibility needed to adapt to Inter’s 3-5-2 and also gives them the edge against a rather static Nerazzurri defence. Andrea Consigli could start in goal behind a back four of Jeremy Toljan, Martin Erlic, Gian Marco Ferrari and Rogerio.
Maxime Lopez will hold the fort in the middle of the park and will be accompanied by the energetic duo of Davide Frattesi and Kristian Thorstvedt. How well the trio dictate terms in the middle of the park could lay the foundations for the home side to thrive.
Andrea Pinamonti led the line well last weekend and is likely to keep his spot up front. He will be accompanied by Armand Lauriente and Georgios Kyriakppoulos in the front three.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Thorstvedt; Lauriente, Pinamonti, Kyriakopoulos
Inter Milan
The visitors will still be without ace midfield Marcelo Brozovic for the game. Romelu Lukaku looks set to return and could be in line to play a role in the match. The Belgian’s recovery is good news for Simone Inzaghi, who saw Joaquin Correa sustain a hamstring injury on Tuesday.
Inter could choose to make a few changes in light of the hard-fought win over Barcelona that will have sapped energy from their players. With the return leg at Camp Nou scheduled for next week, Inzaghi can not afford to tire out his best players this Saturday.
The Inter boss will, however, implement his version of ‘water is wet’ when he sets out the team in the all-too trademark 3-5-2 formation. Samir Handanovic should take Andre Onana’s position in goal and is likely to start behind the back three of Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni.
💪⚫🔵 pic.twitter.com/K6WWNImUyd
— Inter (@Inter_en) October 6, 2022
Kristjan Asllani is likely to be roped in to play the defensive midfielder’s role against Sassuolo. Nicolo Barella will join him in central midfield and could partner with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian playmaker could very well help save Hakan Calhanoglu for the trip to Barcelona.
Denzel Dumfries should return to the eleven at right wing-back, with Federico Dimarco holding the fort on the other flank. Lautaro Martinez will lead the line alongside Edin Dzeko. Regardless of who plays, Inter’s system has long since been figured out, and if Sassuolo adapt to it, individual brilliance could be the difference maker on the day for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Martinez, Dzeko
Key Stats
- Sassuolo have defeated Inter Milan eight times across 18 meetings in Serie A. This is their joint highest win rate against another top-flight side on level with Genoa and Sampdoria.
- A win on the night will see Sassuolo win back-to-back games against Inter Milan for the first time since 2017-18.
- Sassuolo have not drawn a game at home to Inter Milan in their last nine meetings in Serie A.
- A shutout on the night will see Sassuolo keep three consecutive clean sheets in Serie A for the first time in their history.
- Sassuolo have kept five clean sheets in Serie A so far this season. Only Barcelona (6) have more shutouts in the top five European Leagues with six.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Can I count on you for #SassuoloInter?#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/jzJM2KCbfO
— Inter (@Inter_en) October 6, 2022
The Argentine striker has not had the best of seasons and blows hot and cold at times. He has found the back of the net just once in the last nine games across all competitions and will need to turn things around.
With games set to come thick and fast in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Inter will need to discover a winning momentum. Martinez rekindling his goalscoring instinct will certainly make that task easier. Ending his drought against Sassuolo could be the turnaround both he and Inter need to flip this season around.
Prediction
Sassuolo 1-1 Inter Milan
Sassuolo are a formidable side on their day and got the better of Inter Milan in their previous meeting at the Giuseppe Meazza. The Nerazzurri will have their tails up following the win over Barcelona, but fatigue and the lack of cutting edge they have shown this season could prove dear. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two sides
