Inter Milan will seek to use the game against Torino as a dress rehearsal for their UEFA Champions League final vs Manchester City.
Coppa Italia holders Inter Milan will travel to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino to take on Torino FC in their final Serie A game of the 2022/23 season.
The Nerazzurri recently won the Italian Cup and will hope to pick up a fourth European trophy later this month against Manchester City in Istanbul. Simone Inzaghi’s men have already secured Champions League football for next season and could finish second if they win and Lazio lose to Empoli.
The Inter boss is unlikely to risk his best players and will in all likelihood chop and change his side to test out various tactical setups. This is Inter’s final competitive game before the showdown at the Ataturk Stadium and will serve as a training ground to perfect their preparations.
Torino, on the other hand, have nothing to play for apart from pride. Ivan Juric’s men can secure the eighth spot with a win and will want to give their fans something to cheer for on the final day. A loss combined with unhelpful results elsewhere could see them drop all the way down to 11th in the final league standings.
Inter have won the final game of a Serie A campaign the last six years in a row and will be keen to keep up the momentum. Having already won two trophies this season, the Nerazzurri will be keen to end with a cup treble.
With little to play for, the game is unlikely to be fast-paced or overly competitive. It will be interesting, however, to see if Inzaghi will tweak his tactics or try something new. Pep Guardiola will surely be watching, and it will aid the Inter boss to throw in a red herring or two to catch the Catalan off guard. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Torino FC
Waiting for #TorinoInter ⏳#SFT pic.twitter.com/8EZ7BfxzBQ
— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC1906_En) May 31, 2023
The home side could finish anywhere between eighth and 11th this season depending on results on the final day. Ivan Juric and co. will be aware that they have their destiny in their own hands with a win guaranteeing an eighth-spot finish.
Torino will take to the field minus Valentino Lazaro, who is suffering from an adductor issue. Nemanja Radonjic, meanwhile, faces a race against time to be fit. Il Toro have an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from.
A 3-4-2-1 formation appears to be the flavour of the day for the home side with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in goal. He is likely to be protected by a back three of Koffi Djidji, Perr Schuurs, and Alessandro Buongiorno.
The trio’s narrow setup will offer Wilfried Singo and Ricardo Rodriguez the freedom to push upfield down the flanks. Given that Inter too uses their wings to good effect, it is an area of the pitch that could decide the outcome of the tie.
Samuele Ricci and Ivan Ilic will form the centre-midfield and will be in charge of keeping their Inter compatriots occupied. Letting the likes of Hakan Calhanoglu and co. dictate the pace would be suicidal. Ilic has a good goalscoring record against Inter and will hope to add to that tally on the night.
Aleksei Miranchuk and Nikola Vlasic will be deployed as dual number tens with Antonio Sanabria leading the line. Sanabria is the club’s top scorer this season and will once again seek to take advantage of Pietro Pellegri’s injury-hit campaign.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Schurrs, Buongiorno; Singo, Ricci, Ilic, Rodriguez; Miranchuk, Vlasic; Sanabria
Inter Milan
The visitors have bigger fish to fry but will be wary of building up momentum heading into the showdown in Istanbul. Having already won the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia, Simone Inzaghi will feel optimistic that his season can end on another high.
Juventus’s 10-point penalty has made life easier for Inter, helping them instead focus on using the trip to Turin as a testing ground for new tactics or fine-tuning old ones.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Joaquin Correa are still injured, while Milan Skriniar and Danilo D’Ambrosio are back available. While Inzaghi is expected to try out a few new tactics, he is unlikely to deviate from the 3-5-2 formation.
Di corsa verso #TorinoInter 🏃#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/gxGLWyWkpz
— Inter (@Inter) June 1, 2023
Samir Handanovic should start in goal behind the back three of Danilo D’Ambrosio, Stefan de Vrij, and Francesco Acerbi. Raoul Bellanova and Robin Gosens should marshall the wing-back positions with the trio of Nicolo Barella, Kristjan Asllani, and Hakan Calhanoglu to perform in central midfield.
Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku could be playing his last Serie A game for Inter and will want to prove his credentials ahead of the Champions League final. He should start up front with Lautaro Martinez in support. The latter is likely to be taken off in the second half for Edin Dzeko.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Acerbi; Bellanova, Barella, Asllani, Calhanoglu, Gosens; Martinez, Lukaku
Key Stats
- Inter Milan are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run against Torino in Serie A. The latter have not come out on top in this fixture since 2019.
- Torino are currently on a six-game unbeaten run at home against Inter Milan in Serie A.
- Torino have won four of their last eight games against Inter Milan in the second half of the season.
- A win on the night will see Inter Milan become the first side in a 38-matchday Serie A campaign to finish third or higher with 12 defeats.
- Torno are winless in their last six home games in Serie A. The last time they put on such a run was in 2020/21 when they went 12 matches without a victory.
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian star is in good form at the moment and could stake a claim for a starting spot against Manchester City with another solid performance. Good on the ball and riding high on confidence, Lukaku will pose a major threat to the Torino defence.
Whether or not he returns to Chelsea, the 29-year-old will do well to end the season on a high and showcase his credentials to potential suitors. After all, he is still in his prime and can be a physically dominant tour de force upfront if used right.
Prediction
Torino 1-2 Inter Milan
Torino will be keen to end the season on a high while Inter will not want to snap their momentum. Several Nerazzurri stars will also get an opportunity to impress and perhaps give Inzaghi more options heading into Istanbul. Inter Milan will be motivated to secure all three points and should edge out Il Toro by a narrow one-goal margin.