Dumped out of Europe in midweek, Inter Milan must push that disappointment to one side on Saturday evening, when they host relegation-threatened Genoa in Serie A.
While Inter were humbled by Bodo/Glimt at San Siro, they remain clear favourites to claim the Scudetto after posting seven straight league wins.
Match preview
Trailing by two goals after losing in Norway, Inter required a major comeback when they welcomed Norwegian upstarts Bodo/Glimt to Milan for the second leg of their Champions League playoff.
However, a Tuesday night showdown at San Siro ended with the hosts missing out on the last 16, as Bodo scored twice on the break to win 2-1 on the day and, remarkably, 5-2 on aggregate.
Though Alessandro Bastoni belatedly pulled a goal back, Inter paid for some wayward finishing in the absence of top scorer and captain Lautaro Martinez: they racked up 30 shots but only seven found the target.
After such a lacklustre exit, the three-time European champions have been left to concentrate on domestic matters, with Cristian Chivu’s side still on track for a league and cup double.
Inter are all set to reclaim the Italian title, following a run of seven straight wins in Serie A, while a two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final against Como is soon coming up.
Last week, a 2-0 victory in Lecce came thanks to late goals from substitutes Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manuel Akanji, sending Chivu’s men 10 points clear of city rivals AC Milan.
Having won all but one of their last 14 Serie A matches, averaging 2.6 goals per game, the Nerazzurri will certainly take some stopping – and history suggests they should win again this weekend.
Totally dominant versus Saturday’s visitors, Inter have won their last 11 home games against Genoa, keeping nine clean sheets in the process.
© Iconsport / LaPresse
Following a 2-1 home defeat in this season’s reverse fixture, Genoa have won none and lost 10 of the clubs’ last 13 league meetings, only scoring a meagre five goals.
In fact, the Grifone’s last victory over Inter dates back to February 2018, so precedent will be stacked high against them when they return to San Siro.
Last week’s 3-0 home win versus Torino helped Genoa’s latest Serie A survival fight, as they took full advantage of their opponents going down to 10 men just before half time.
Since the autumn arrival of Daniele De Rossi as head coach, only Inter, Como and Juventus have scored more goals, and a previously misfiring front line boast the league’s best shot conversion rate during that period.
While still hit-and-miss at the back, the Ligurian club have also kept clean sheets in both of their last two matches.
Yet, they remain in acute danger, sitting just three points above the drop zone as one of six teams vying to avoid the final relegation place.
Inter Milan Serie A form:
W W W W W W
Inter Milan form (all competitions):
W W W L W L
Genoa Serie A form:
D W L L D W
Team News
© Imago
As Inter skipper Martinez will not return from a calf strain until next month, Chivu must choose two from Francesco Pio Esposito, Marcus Thuram and Ange-Yoan Bonny to lead his attack.
Furthermore, Bastoni is suspended, so either Carlos Augusto or Francesco Acerbi should take his place in the hosts’ back three.
In better news for the Nerazzurri, Denzel Dumfries recently completed his comeback from a long layoff, while influential midfielders Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu can both play after serving Serie A bans last weekend.
Patrolling the left flank, set-piece specialist Federico Dimarco has laid on at least one goal in each of his last five league appearances, totalling eight assists during that run.
Meanwhile, Genoa will turn to AC Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo for inspiration at San Siro: since De Rossi’s arrival in November, only Martinez has scored more than the striker’s six Serie A goals.
Sebastian Otoa and back-up goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist are still ruled out by injury, while English wing-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy is a major doubt.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Augusto; Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Bonny, Thuram
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Martin; Baldanzi; Vitinha, Colombo
We say: Inter Milan 3-1 Genoa
Dominant domestically, Inter will continue their sequence of supremacy against Genoa, despite suffering such a painful departure from Europe.
The Nerazzurri will have a point to prove in front of their fans, while another win would inch them closer to the title.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
