Inter Milan have come under pressure to keep their place at the summit of Serie A before they take on strugglers Salernitana.
Salernitana enter their next Serie A match against Inter Milan aiming to keep out of the bottom three, as Paulo Sousa hopes to get a positive result against Inter Milan. The 17th-placed side are yet to find their first win of the campaign and failed to beat Empoli in the previous round.
Empoli came into that game at the back of five straight defeats, and Salernitana’s inability to get anything out of the game has raised some serious doubts. Their record against Inter has not been good at all, as they have yet to beat their opposition since gaining promotion to the top flight.
However, last season’s result ended in a 1-1 draw, with Antonio Candreva levelling with a sensational goal at the death. Sousa will hope for a repeat of that performance, which would still feel like a positive result for Salernitana and where they stand in the Serie A table.
Simone Inzaghi would demand consistency from his players after they slipped for the first time this season. A bad result had been coming since their Champions League opening game draw, but the manager would not have envisaged their loss to Sassuolo, who have now defeated Inter and Juventus in the space of a few days.
Fischio finale
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— Inter (@Inter) September 27, 2023
The result saw Inter drop points in Serie A for the first time this season, thus allowing rivals AC Milan to go level on points with them. The defeat feels very different, especially seeing their arch-rivals in such a position, particularly after Inzaghi’s men had mauled them 5-1 only days earlier.
Now, Inzaghi will come under pressure to keep performing, and he would not want another slip-up from his players, at least before the next international break. Milan, Juventus, and even Napoli are all raising their levels, and another bad result for Inter would see them drop down in the standings and lose their top spot.
Team News & Tactics
Salernitana
Paulo Sousa will have to make do without Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi and Lassana Coulibaly, who are out until October at the very least. On the positive side, Salernitana could welcome last season’s top scorer, Boulaye Dia, to the starting lineup after his cameo against Empoli.
🎙️Sousa: “Intensità mentale e fame di risultato. In campo come una famiglia”.
Le parole del tecnico granata alla vigilia di Salernitana – Inter 👉 https://t.co/Ngzu6194Hk@GruppoIovine #SalernitanaInter #macteanimo #forzagranata #salernitana #uss1919 pic.twitter.com/G5asNwtiY7
— US Salernitana 1919 (@OfficialUSS1919) September 29, 2023
Salernitana will go with a back three of Norbert Gyomber, Federico Fazio and Lorenzo Pirola. On the flanks, Sousa will deploy Pasquale Mazzocchi and Domagoj Bradaric.
The Salernitana boss will have faith in the central midfield partnership of Agustin Martegani and Giulio Maggiore. Grigoris Kastanos and Candreva will provide the attacking impetus, with Dia leading the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ochoa; Gyomber, Fazio, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Martegani, Maggiore, Bradaric; Candreva, Kastanos; Dia
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi does not have many injury-led absentees in his squad, with Stefano Sensi, Marko Arnautovic and Juan Cuadrado the ones missing from action. Overall, these absences do not affect the manager’s first-choice selections.
Le condizioni di Davide Frattesi 👇
— Inter (@Inter) September 29, 2023
Denzel Dumfries will continue to play on the right flank, but Carlos Augusto could start on the left-hand side in place of Federico Dimarco. Davide Frattesi could have played a midfield role in place of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But his injury will prevent that. Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglou will retain their places.
At the back, Inzaghi will likely shuffle his personnel, with Stefan de Vrij and Benjamin Pavard likely to come in for Alessandro Bastoni and Matteo Darmian.
Inzaghi will also think about rotating his front two, with Alexis Sanchez ready to go and waiting for his opportunity. Lautaro Martinez will be hard to rest at this stage, meaning Marcus Thuram could drop down to the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Acerbi; Dumfries, Barella Calhanoglou, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Martinez, Sanchez
Key Stats
- Salernitana have failed to win their last seven matches in Serie A.
- Salernitana are one of the three teams yet to register a win this season.
- Salernitana have never beaten Inter Milan since achieving promotion to Serie A.
- Inter Milan have won all their games away from home this season in Serie A.
- Inter Milan sit level on points with rivals AC Milan after round 6 of Serie A.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
After a stellar start to the season where Martinez netted five times in three games for Inter, he has not scored in his last three matches. Such a stat could catch up on the Argentine ahead of some crucial fixtures, where Simone Inzaghi will want his captain firing on all cylinders.
The Salernitana clash is a big one for Martinez, who will not hope to extend his scoreless touch for another game. Goals against lower opposition usually act as a solid boost for players looking to get back in form, and this clash on Saturday will be that for the skipper.
Prediction
Salernitana 0-2 Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi will hope the loss to Sassuolo was just a one-off result for his players, and that has to change at the weekend. With pressure mounting on Inter Milan to maintain pace at the top, the manager will hope for an early resolution against Salernitana.
The home side, on the other hand, are in a wretched run of form, although there were some encouraging signs in the last few games. However, an opposition like Inter Milan would prove too difficult for Paulo Sousa’s men to overcome, with the league leaders likely to take the three points back to Milan on Saturday.
