Inter Milan will hope to keep their lead atop the Serie A table intact when they travel to face Monza on Saturday night.
We have now reached the halfway point of the 2023/24 Serie A season, with Inter Milan, who face AC Monza on Saturday, leading the way as the winter champions.
A wild finish at San Siro last Saturday saw Inter ultimately come out with three vital points following a 2-1 win over Hellas Verona to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to five points.
Lautaro Martinez broke the deadlock in the first half, which was cancelled out by Thomas Henry in the 74th minute. Davide Frattesi tapped in stoppage time for a thrilling win, which was confirmed when Henry missed a late penalty for the 10-man visitors.
It was far from straightforward, but Simone Inzaghi’s side somehow got over the line, and they have now won 15 of their 19 games so far, drawing three and losing just once to Sassuolo. Since that setback at the end of September, Inter have gone on a 13-game unbeaten streak, which included five wins in their last six.
In an equally action-packed encounter at Frosinone, Monza snapped a run of three games without a win as they clung on for a 3-2 victory over the hosts, who rallied from three goals down but had Pierluigi Frattali sent off in the 75th minute.
Monza are sitting firmly in the middle-of-the-table with six wins, seven draws, and six defeats so far this season and will be looking to push on into the top seven and the European spots in Serie A, following promotion to the top flight for the first time ever in 2022.
Inter won the reverse fixture between the two sides this season, a 2-0 victory at San Siro, and have won six of their 10 past meetings overall. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both teams could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
AC Monza
Monza will have to make do without the services of goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio for the next few weeks after the Inter academy graduate picked up a thigh injury at Frosinone. In the absence of the highly-rated shot-stopper, backup goalie Alessandro Sorrentino will deputise in between the sticks for the hosts.
Monza are likely to deploy in a 3-4-2-1 formation that can match up with Inter’s 3-5-2 formation in terms of open spaces and numbers in midfield. The formation also provides the home side with enough flexibility to shift into a 5-4-1 while defending.
Former Inter defenders Luca Caldirola and Danilo D’Ambrosio will line up in the back three alongside Brazilian central defensive stalwart Pablo Mari, while Roberto Gagliardini and Matteo Pessina should start in central midfield.
18-year-old Inter Milan loanee Valentin Carboni is making a good impression at Monza and scored again last week to take his goal contributions to five from 12 outings (three starts). The Argentine attacker is set to feature in Biancorossi’s forward line. Andrea Colpani and Dany Mota are set to rival AC Milan-owned Lorenzo Colombo for the leftover spots in attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sorrentino; D’Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Birindelli, Gagliardini, Pessina, Ciurria; Colpani, V. Carboni; Mota
Inter Milan
Apart from Juan Cuadrado’s long-term absence due to Achilles surgery, Inter have no fresh injury concerns from their dramatic victory against Hellas Verona last weekend, with Simone Inzaghi’s squad set to be reinforced by the availability of new signing Tajon Buchanan.
The Canadian wing-back should start on the bench, which means Denzel Dumfries and Matteo Darmian will fight it out for a place on the visitors’ right flank, with Federico Dimarco slotting on the left ahead of former Monza star Carlos Augusto.
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is set to continue with his trademark 3-5-2 formation. Swiss international Yann Sommer produced two good saves and also rode his luck as Henry’s stoppage time penalty hit the upright against Verona. He should start in goal behind the back three of Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastoni.
Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will hold the fort in the middle of the park. Captain Lautaro Martinez, who is apparently set to sign a new contract to prolong his Inter Milan stay, will start alongside Marcus Thuram upfront against Monza.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have netted 44 times in 19 games, the most in Serie A this term.
- The Nerazzurri have scored twice in 14 of their 19 matches and have averaged 2.11 goals per away trip.
- Monza won only once in their last five home matches, losing two of their last three home Serie A games.
- Inter have not lost away from home at all this season.
- The hosts have won just four points against sides in the top half of Serie A this season.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Saturday’s clash with Hellas Verona marked the return of Inter captain Lautaro Martinez to the starting lineup, and the Argentine made up for lost time by stabbing in the opener after 13 minutes. It was the Inter Milan captain’s 16th goal of the campaign, and it’s difficult to see him stopping against AC Monza.
Prediction
Monza 1-2 Inter Milan
Monza are no pushovers, and they will give it their all to make life difficult for Inter Milan on Saturday night. The hosts are just five points off the top seven, but their performances have been generally unconvincing of late. With the Nerazzurri proving to be clinical finishers and boasting superior quality both in the first XI and also off the bench, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.