Inter and Fiorentina are set to square off in a handsomely-looking Serie A showdown at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday afternoon. Stakes are high for both sides, as they are both shy of their seasonal goals going into the final nine rounds of fixtures.
Inter needed Alexis Sanchez’s last-gasp heroics to eke out a 1-1 draw at lowly Torino last time out as their bid to defend the Serie A crown took another hit. With table-topping Milan now four points away, the Nerazzurri can ill-afford any mistakes against eight-placed Fiorentina.
Unlike their hosts, La Viola head into proceedings in high spirits following a 1-0 home triumph over mid-table Bologna last weekend. Having reduced the gap on sixth-placed Roma to a mere two points, Vincenzo Italiano’s men are firmly back in contention for a coveted European finish.
Match Preview
Inter
The abovementioned draw at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino made it one win from Inter’s last six Serie A matches (D3, L2). But their solitary success in that six-game sequence arrived in their most recent outing at Meazza, courtesy of a scintillating 5-0 romping of basement boys Salernitana.
Back at their famous home venue after a two-week hiatus, Inter will be looking to build on their intimidating home form this season. Simone Inzaghi’s men have racked up 32 points in 14 Serie A fixtures at Meazza this term (W10, D2, L2), more home points than any other side in Italy’s top division.
From 2001 onwards, Inter have registered a whopping 16 wins in their 19 Serie A meetings with Fiorentina (D1, L2), winning the last three on the trot by an aggregate score of 9-4. Particularly dangerous in the later stages of play, the reigning Italian champions have netted a league joint-high 22 goals beyond the 60th minute this season.
Fiorentina
Not many things have gone Fiorentina’s way since Dusan Vlahovic’s January departure for Juventus. However, they should show up at Meazza in a confident mood after snapping a run of consecutive Serie A games without a victory (D1, L1).
Fiorentina have delivered a mixed bag of performance across their last six Serie A away matches (W2, D2, L2). Their indifferent away form has emanated from a fragile backline that has failed to keep a clean sheet in ten successive top-flight fixtures outside Artemio Franchi. Italiano’s men have conceded an average of 1.5 goals per Serie A trip this season.
The visitors’ hopes of overcoming their form wobble in Lombardy look rather slim though, as they’ve lost three of their last four Serie A visits to sides currently sitting above them in the standings. Furthermore, four of their five previous top-flight games away to Inter have yielded defeats (D1).
Inter vs Fiorentina Predicted Lineups
Inter Potential Starting XI (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Roberto Gagliardini, Hakan Calhanoglu, Robin Gosens; Lautaro Martinez, Alexis Sanchez.
Fiorentina Potential Starting XI (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Alvaro Odriozola, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Cristiano Biraghi; Sofyan Amrabat, Lucas Torreira, Gaetano Castrovilli, Nicolas Gonzalez; Krzysztof Piatek, Jonathan Ikone.
Inter vs Fiorentina Prediction
A potential failed attempt to land all three points here could spell disaster for Inter’s ambitions to win back-to-back Serie A titles for the first time since 2009/10. Despite having a game in hand on top-placed Milan, Inzaghi’s men have to build some momentum after failing to live up to expectations in recent times.
Fiorentina’s visit could be a perfect time for Lautaro Martinez and his comrades to hit the ground running. La Viola are still adapting to life without Vlahovic. That could make them vulnerable to the Serie A big guns, including Inter.
The Nerazzurri are in desperate need of points, and we expect them to fill the feed on Saturday.
Predicted Scoreline: Inter 2-1 Fiorentina