Inter will attempt to keep pace with the Serie A leaders by defeating 19th-placed Hellas Verona on Saturday after letting two points slip through their fingers the previous weekend.
Inter were pegged back by local rivals Monza in a 2-2 draw at San Siro in their race to cover up the lead against league leader Napoli
Denzel Dumfries’ last-second own goal kept the Nerazzurri to just one point, putting them in fourth place in the standings, one game from the halfway point of Serie A.
Even though they are only three points behind Juventus and Milan, the gap to leaders Napoli is ten points, so Simone Inzaghi’s men may seek glory this season in cup competitions.
Tuesday’s domestic cup match against Serie B team Parma nearly resulted in humiliation for Inzaghi’s inconsistent team, who only managed to advance to the quarterfinals by finally defeating the Buffon-inspired visitors at San Siro: Parma led until the 88th minute, when Lautaro Martinez equalised, before an Acerbi header edged Inter through in extra time.
The Nerazzurri face a team they have completely dominated year after year before heading to Saudi Arabia next week to compete in the Supercoppa Italiana with old rivals Milan.
Verona’s last victory over Inter came in February 1992. In addition, Hellas has given up goals in all 12 of their away Serie A games against them, and their last shutout against the Nerazzurri came at San Siro about 32 years ago. In the top flight, Verona has never beaten Inter at San Siro.
In reality, Marco Zaffaroni’s current squad has only triumphed twice overall this season, with their most recent victory coming against fellow underachievers Cremonese at home.
With the help of an unlikely brace from Darko Lazovic, Hellas gained ground on their opponents by going up two goals before halftime. They went on to secure a crucial 2-0 victory, but they are still six points from safety.
For the first time in more than a year, Verona could now win consecutive Serie A games and keep clean sheets. But it will be a challenge for them to escape San Siro unscathed this weekend because they have failed to prevent the opposition from scoring in each of their last 31 away games.
Inter Team News
Due to a busy schedule, Edin Dzeko and Milan Skriniar, who only played off the bench against Parma, are likely to be reinserted into the starting lineup. Matteo Darmian and Denzel Dumfries will once more compete for a spot on the right flank of Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 formation.
The player most likely to be replaced by Dzeko is Joaquin Correa. Dzeko made his Serie A debut against Verona in 2015 and has scored all four of his league goals against them in home games.
Romelu Lukaku, Brozovic, Barella, Calhanoglu were among the notable players who missed Inter’s midweek cup victory as Simone Inzaghi rotated his team; however, those who are healthy enough to return might play on Saturday.
Possible Lineup
Andre Onana; Skriniar, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Gagliardini, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Edin Dzeko, Laurato Martinez
Hellas Verona Team News
Meanwhile, the visitors are concerned about the physical condition of Simone Verdi, Kevin Lasagna, and Marco Faraoni. Jayden Braaf, a young striker who is expected to join from Borussia Dortmund, is also anticipated to be unavailable.
Following a rare victory the last time out, new manager Marco Zaffaroni is anticipated to select a team that includes Monday’s game-winning player Darko Lazovic once again.
The versatile midfielder, has already scored more goals this season with his two goals at the Bentegodi than he did the entire previous campaign. The central striker Milan Djuric is expected to start as well.
Possible Luneup
Montipo; Dawidowicz, Hien, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Ilic, Tameze, Doig, Darko Lazovic, Kallon, Milan Djuric
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE ON TWITTER
READ MORE;
Napoli 5-1 Juventus: Partenopei destroyed Juventus in a frenzy match
Lecce vs Milan: Match preview, team news and possible lineups