Serie A leaders Inter Milan will look to bounce back following their frustrating Coppa Italia exit in midweek when they host Lecce in front of a near-packed Meazza for their final game before Christmas.
With just two matchdays left in Serie A this year, Inter Milan are on track to enter the New Year at the top of the table and in pole position to reclaim the Scudetto, with Lecce being their penultimate opponents for 2023.
The Nerazzurri consolidated their grasp at the top of the Serie A table this past weekend. First, Juventus slipped up on Friday. The Bianconeri dropped points against Genoa, playing out a drab 1-1 stalemate. This gave Inter the opportunity to extend their lead at the top from two points to four.
But they had a tough Lazio team standing in their way. And the Biancocelesti lived up to the billing and made it a difficult time of it for the league leaders. In the end, Inter got the job done thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. This has certainly reinforced the impression that the Serie A title is Inter’s to lose this season.
There is, of course, more than half a season to go still, and a lot could yet happen. Inter head into Saturday’s game on the back of their Coppa Italia exit on Wednesday night. Thiago Motta returned to his former stomping ground with his scary new Bologna side, currently holding the fourth spot in Serie A, in tow before supplying the dread through a cup knockout punch to Simeone Inzaghi’s side.
Carlos Augusto scored first for the Serie A league leaders in the 30-minute-long extra period after a goalless regular time, only for Sam Beukema and Dan Ndoye to turn the tide around late on, with Joshua Zirkzee supplying two magical assists for the goals. They now face a Lecce side that are firmly in the mid-table, with their 2-1 defeat of Frosinone extending their current unbeaten run of form to five games.
Inter Milan earned the domestic double over Lecce in the previous term of Serie A, claiming wins both home and away. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides may take to the field on the night and the tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Dutch duo Denzel Dumfries and Stefan de Vrij are still sidelined, while a recurring Achilles problem rules out Colombian wing-back Juan Cuadrado; the participation of Alexis Sanchez remains in doubt due to a muscle strain.
As in the Coppa Italia game against Bologna, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is set to make several changes to his league XI on Saturday and could bring back some of his key stars in his starting lineup. Squad members such as midfield trio Davide Frattesi, Kristjan Asllani, and Davy Klaassen, goalkeeper Emil Audero, and left wing-back Carlos Augusto should all be rotated out of the side.
Yann Sommer could return in between the sticks for the hosts, who will be lining up in Inzaghi’s preferred 3-5-2 formation. There are unlikely to be any changes in the back-three, comprising veteran Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, and Yann Bisseck.
Hakan Calhanoglu could replace Asllani at the base of the midfield, which should allow Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nicolo Barella to push forward and get involved in attacking plays. Star striker Lautaro Martinez is doubtful for the weekend’s game after limping off against Bologna in midweek with a thigh injury. Should the Argentine attacker miss out here, we could see a potential front-two pairing of Marko Arnautovic alongside Marcus Thuram.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Arnautovic
Lecce
Rostov loanee Pontus Almqvist has missed the last two games with injury for Lecce and is not expected to feature here. Meanwhile, Patrick Dorgu, Hamza Rafia, and Marin Pongracic are all doubts for Roberto D’Aversa’s side for Saturday’s trip to Inter.
The goals have dried up for Montenegrin striker Nikola Krstovic after a blistering start in Serie A, as the forward has failed to find the net in any of his last eight outings for the club. As a result, he was dropped from the starting lineup at Empoli, with his replacement Roberto Piccoli impressing in the last two outings, and he even bagged himself a goal in Lecce’s first league win in five against Frosinone last time out.
Lameck Banda was also electric in the same game, and the wide attacker should start at San Siro, with Gabriel Strefezza set to continue on the opposite flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschiroto, Gallo; Gonzalez, Ramadani, Oudin; Strefezza, Piccoli, Banda
Key Stats
- Lecce have found the net in seven consecutive games, netting 11 goals during that stretch.
- Inter Milan are the highest-scoring side in the Serie A, with 39 goals in 16 fixtures.
- The Nerazzurri have suffered just one defeat in their 16 matches so far this season.
- Lecce have seen both teams score in nine of their last 10 games.
- Inter striker Lautaro Martinez has scored 29 Serie A goals in 2023 and could become the first player to score 30 goals in a calendar year since 1958.
Player to Watch
Marcus Thuram
Having joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach over the summer, Thuram has immediately carved himself an important role in Simone Inzaghi’s starting lineup. In recent years, the World Cup finalist has often played on the left wing.
However, the Inter Milan boss has been deploying him as a target-man striker alongside goal-machine Lautaro Martinez in his 3-5-2 tactical system. Thuram has certainly responded well to the change.
He has already netted seven goals and produced six assists in 16 Serie A appearances. The France international was once again on target in Inter’s 2-0 win over Lazio on Sunday and could play a starring role here in the potential absence of partner-in-crime Martinez.
Prediction
Inter Milan 4-1 Lecce
Inter Milan might not be in their best shape after their gruelling midweek cup tie against Bologna and in the potential absence of star striker Lautaro Martinez, but they should still have enough about them to beat a Lecce team that has won only four games all season long, keeping just two clean sheets. The Hard Tackle backs Inter to rack up some goals in a cruising victory at the weekend.