Inter Milan will take on Venezia in Sunday’s late fixture. Simone Inzaghi will target another win and get as close as possible to Napoli.
The Serie A title race is taking shape with each passing week, as Inter Milan and Napoli seem nailed on to fight it out at the top, with the former hosting Venezia this weekend. Atalanta could get into the mix if they manage to win over leaders Napoli in Sunday’s early kickoff, which would make it necessary for Simone Inzaghi to win over Venezia in the late Sunday night kickoff.
Inter Milan will be pretty confident of getting the three points and even closing the gap on Napoli or at least maintaining the current four-point deficit. They contested a terrific 4-4 draw against Juventus last weekend before returning to winning ways against ten-man Empoli, as Davide Frattesi scored a brace in what seemed like a rare start for him, and then Lautaro Martinez ensured the game finished 3-0.
Inzaghi will want a similar result or better against Venezia in this round, and then he will focus on the smashing UEFA Champions League home clash with Arsenal in midweek. Incidentally, Inter Milan are in a difficult week, with Venezia, the Gunners, and then their of top with Napoli next weekend, as thethe Serie A title race takes shape.
Eusebio Di Francesco will want to see further improvement from his side as Venezia continues to languish in the bottom three. They might have earned a fortunate victory in midweek, and they will take a similar one at the weekend with Inter Milan.
There were two matches and red cards for each of their opponents, but Venezia were only able to take advantage of one of those clashes. Last weekend against Monza, the Venice side was in an advantageous position for at least 10 minutes but did not capitalise, and they were presented with another such opportunity in midweek against Udinese.
Despite going two goals down, Joel Pohjanpalo got one back from the penalty spot. However, a 53rd-minute red card to Udinese’s Isaak Toure meant the game saw a turning point for Venezia. They took full advantage immediately after through Hans Caviglia, and Pohjanpalo then struck again from the penalty spot to seal the victory late in the clash. They will hope for another win against Inter, but this is a challenging prospect.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Tajon Buchanan and Carlos Augusto are the only confirmed absentees from this Inter Milan squad, and Simone Inzaghi will have the luxury of choosing his best eleven for the weekend. There are some question marks that Inter Milan will leave out a few critical stars with the midweek Arsenal clash in mind. But if that is the case, it remains to be seen.
It might be a case for Nicolo Barella to start in the central midfield spot the Turkish international usually takes up, as Davide Frattesi and Piotr Zielinski will feature on either side of the Italian. Augusto’s injury means Federico Dimarco has no choice but to start, with Matteo Darmian likely to be preferred on the right flank.
Yann Bisseck, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni are the likely starters in the central defensive unit, with Francesco Acerbi likely to be rested for the midweek encounter. The Venezia clash is also a chance for one of Mehdi Taremi or Marko Arnautovic to start, with the former likely to partner skipper Lautaro Martinez in the front two.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, de Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Barella, Zielinski, Dimarco; Taremi, Martinez
Venezia
Luckily for Venezia, they have a near-full squad for the visit to San Siro, as Bjarki Bjarkason is the only absentee from Eusebio Di Francesco’s side. Marin Sverko returned in midweek after spending some time on the sidelines, and Di Francesco will make a late decision on whether to include him against Inter Milan.
Venezia will settle for three at the back, with Giorgio Altare, Michael Svoboda, and Ridgeciano Haps featuring there from the start. Alfred Duncan and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia will be the mainstays in central midfield, with Gianluca Busio and Gaetano Oristanio supporting them in the advanced roles.
Francesco Zampano and Mikael Ellertsson will provide the width on this side, while Joel Pohjanpalo will lead the line for Venezia against Inter Milan on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Stankovic; Altare, Svoboda, Haps; Zampano, Duncan, Caviglia, Ellertsson; Busio, Oristanio; Pohjanpalo
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have won their last three home matches against Venezia in all competitions.
- Inter are undefeated in 36 of their last 38 matches in Serie A.
- Venezia have conceded at least two goals in their last five matches in Serie A.
- Venezia have won just once in all competitions this season.
Player to Watch
Davide Frattesi
Two goals against Empoli do set Frattesi up nicely to be a key part of Simone Inzaghi’s plans, at least until the next international break. The midfielder’s form will force the manager to select him ahead of Sunday’s game, and he will likely begin against Venezia with the chance to make another impression on the pitch.
Frattesi will be critical to Inter Milan’s chances of getting a win, especially if Inzaghi decides to keep Hakan Calhanoglu on the bench ahead of the midweek clash with Arsenal. In any case, the manager’s selection will also show some level of faith in the midfielder, especially when the Nerazzurri is chasing leaders Napoli on the table and face them next weekend in a top-of-the-table clash.
Prediction
Inter Milan 4-0 Venezia
The Serie A strugglers will face one of the most daunting tasks their season will offer at San Siro. In fact, they had a taste of the medicine at this venue earlier in the season. 4-0 defeat to AC Milan, and there is a big p[probability Inter Milan will make a repeat of that scoreline on Sunday evening.
Inter Milan are entering into their best form ahead, and will likely punish a struggling side like Venezia, especially on home soil. Their defence will also ensure a clean sheet is in place, as Inter Milan will eye their midweek clash with Arsenal and then against league leaders, as a win on Sunday will nicely set them up for those encounters.