Inter and Atalanta go head-to-head at Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday, and it’s time to preview the game and take a look at the expected lineups. Arguably the most exciting match-up on the weekend’s Serie A football schedule pits the reigning Italian champions against a permanent top-four fixture.
Inter’s showings in the early exchanges this term suggest they have already put the summer’s high-profile departures of Antonio Conte, Achraf Hakimi, and Romelu Lukaku behind. Meanwhile, though Atalanta have amassed just three points less than their hosts so far, there’s a feeling that they are not the best version of themselves yet.
Inter vs Atalanta Head-to-Head
Overall H2H stakes in Serie A massively favor Inter here, with the Nerazzurri picking up 64 triumphs in 120 previous meetings with Atalanta (D32, L24). In turn, La Dea have failed to win at Giuseppe Meazza across their last seven top-flight visits to this venue (D2, L5), scoring a total of two goals in the process.
Despite finishing the last three Serie A seasons as the most prolific Italian side, Atalanta have drawn a blank in three of their previous four league encounters against Inter on hostile turf. Indeed, entertainment was relatively sparse across those four matches, as each of them featured under 2.5 total goals.
The Nerazzurri are the only team to avoid defeat in both seasonal fixtures against Atalanta over the last two Serie A campaigns (W2, D2), which sums up the visitors’ underdog status in this match-up in a nutshell. You have to go back to March 2014 to find Inter’s last home top-flight loss to La Dea.
Inter Form Preview
New boss Simone Inzaghi has picked up where Conte left off last season, guiding Inter to an almost perfect five-game Serie A start (W4, D1). Except for a 2-2 draw away with Sampdoria on Matchday 3, the reigning Italian champions have won their remaining three league fixtures by at least a two-goal margin.
Despite Lukaku’s blockbuster return to Chelsea in the summer, the Nerazzurri look unfazed, as witnessed by a return of 18 goals scored across their first five Serie A games this season. Indeed, apart from the abovementioned draw at the Luigi Ferraris, Inter have netted 3+ goals in each of their other four league outings.
Particularly lethal beyond half-time, Inter go into proceedings as the only side to have scored 10+ second-half goals in Serie A this season (11). Indeed, there’s been plenty of late action in their league matches this term, with four of five featuring at least one goal scored/conceded beyond the 75th minute,
Summer signing Edin Dzeko has hit the ground running from day one, racking up four goals and one assist in his first five Serie A appearances with Inter. The experienced Bosnian striker scored four times in his last five top-flight outings against Atalanta during his career at Roma.
Atalanta Form Preview
Atalanta have enjoyed an upturn in form lately, going from two consecutive Serie A matches without winning (D1, L1) to back-to-back league triumphs by a single-goal margin. In fact, each of La Dea‘s three top-flight victories this season has yielded a slender one-goal margin, with two of them seeing them score the opener before half-time.
Despite their unconvincing early showings, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side entertain the prospect of starting a new Serie A season with three successive away wins for the second time in their top-flight history. Moreover, a potential triumph here would equal Atalanta’s highest points tally at this stage of a Serie A campaign.
There’s plenty of reason for optimism in the traveling camp, considering the Bergamo-based giants are unbeaten in their last eight Serie A games away from home (W6, D2). Incidentally, though, their most recent top-flight defeat on the road came at the hands of Inter of all teams back in early March.
Josip Ilicic has provided two assists in Serie A this season, but he has yet to find the back of the net. Now would be a good time for the Slovenian to get off the mark, as he goes up against a side he scored his first Serie A goal against back in September 2010.
Inter vs Atalanta Predicted Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Andrea Ranocchia; Marcelo Brozović, Matias Vecino, Hakan Calhanoglu, Matteo Darmian, Ivan Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Juan Musso; Rafael Toloi, Merih Demiral, Berat Djimsiti; Davide Zappacosta, Mario Pasalic, Teun Koopmeiners, Robin Gosens; Matteo Pessina; Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata.