Inter Milan will aim to extend their lead at the top of the standings as they travel to mid-table survivors Lecce on Sunday.
Roberto D’Aversa will want a good game at home for Lecce against runaway leaders Inter Milan, although their record against Simone Inzaghi’s side has been abysmal in the last many years. Lecce are keeping hold of their mid-table status despite a terrible run of results of late.
With 24 points on board, D’Aversa’s side may appear safe for now. But they could get dragged near the bottom three with a string of disappointing results. While they are far from being favourites to take even a point against Inter Milan, Lecce will have eyes on a trio of games against fellow strugglers Frosinone, Hellas Verona and Salernitana.
Lecce have lost five of their last six Serie A games, with the solitary victory coming on home soil against Fiorentina. The previous weekend, they succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Torino as D’Aversa saw Marin Pongracic get sent off with the red card sandwiched between goals from Raoul Bellanova and Duvan Zapata to seal the win for the Turin side.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan is in flying form ahead of a pivotal few weeks as Inzaghi wants his side to maintain momentum and take the next significant steps in their season. In midweek, a late Marko Arnautovic strike sealed a first-leg Champions League Round of 16 win over Atletico Madrid. However, the manager would want his players to keep their feet on the ground ahead of the reverse fixture.
Domestically, Inter Milan nearly has a hand on the Serie A title, as they are currently nine points ahead and have a game in hand over their nearest rival, Juventus. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have suffered of late in the title race and failed to win any of their last four league clashes.
Inter Milan took their chances and secured three points in all the games during that period, including a narrow victory over Juventus. For now, any team, be it in Serie A or Europe, must be scared to face Inter Milan, considering they are in the form of their life and vying for top honours by the end of the current season.
Team News & Tactics
Lecce
Lecce will miss two critical stars for the match against Inter Milan, with Patrick Dorgu and Marin Pongracic both having to serve suspensions. The latter received a red card in the previous game against Torino and will miss this big game over the weekend.
Beyond that, Roberto D’Aversa does not have any injury-related absentees, as he will have the benefit of being chosen from a near-full squad. He might ponder another change, which might be choosing between Roberto Piccoli and Nikola Krstovic.
The former has four Serie A goals this season, with three of them coming on home soil, which could give him an upper hand. However, D’Aversa might go along with Krstovic as his preferred No.9, flanked by Pontus Almqvist and Nicola Sansone.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Touba, Barchirotto, Gallo; Kaba, Ramadani, Oudin; Almqvist, Krstovi, Sansone
Inter Milan
Simone Inzaghi has no reason to doubt his current selection choices, although there are some injury-related absentees over which he has no power. For instance, key striker Marcus Thuram limped off against Atletico Madrid in midweek, and he will need attention to his injury.
The Frenchman might miss out altogether from the Lecce clash, and had he returned fit after the midweek problem, Inzaghi might not have started him as a precaution anyway. With Arnautovic getting the decisive goal against Atletico, the Austrian has given himself a chance to start in place of Thuram.
Inzagi would like to bring some balance and give his fringe players a run-out against Lecce. With that, he might bring in Kristjan Asllani in place of Hakan Canhanoglu at the base of Inter’s midfield, with Davide Frattesi also pencilled in to start.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will keep his place in the lineup. On the wide areas, Federico Dimarco will likely keep his place, although Denzel Dumfries could replace Darmian on the right flank. At the back, Stefan De Vrij and Carlos Augusto might get the nod, thus allowing Inzaghi to rest the likes of Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Augusto; Dumfries, Frattesi, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Arnautovic
Key Stats
- Lecce are four points above relegation following their 2-0 defeat against Torino last Friday.
- Lecce have lost seven of their last nine Serie A games.
- Lecce have a single victory over Inter Milan in their last 15 League encounters.
- Inter Milan have scored in 19 consecutive Serie A away matches.
- Inter Milan have won nine consecutive games across all competitions.
Player to Watch
Marko Arnautovic
Inter Milan replaced Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko with the Austrian striker, and he has had a decent time until the midweek clash. Arnautovic produced a game-changing movement against Atletico to take home the matchwinner, and now with Marcus Thuram’s injury, he has a chance to show Inzaghi what he is capable of.
Simone Inzaghi also has Alexis Sanchez, who might not have the numbers to show but certainly puts in a hard shift when called upon. Hence, it is a testing period for Arnautovic to show his calibre and come to the forefront with a good performance against Lecce, which gives the manager a selection headache.
Prediction
Lecce 0-3 Inter Milan
Inter Milan may have only won by a solitary goal in midweek. Still, the side is capable of creating many opportunities and breaking down defences, which is where Lecce might suffer. Simone Inzaghi has a well-drilled side at his disposal, and on Sunday, the manager would want a commanding performance resulting in a big win.
Lecce have struggled for relevance and somehow have kept hold of their place in midtable. They may not fancy themselves to take something against Inter, although Roberto D’Aversa might want to see some fight in his players to achieve the impossible. In any case, Inter Milan are the clear favourites to take three points and extend their lead at the top of the standings.
