Inter welcome Fiorentina to the San Siro on Saturday in Serie A action as Simone Inzaghi looks to return to winning ways following the Nerazzurri’s 1-0 defeat to Juventus before the international break. The visitors enter this one in tremendous form and recorded a 1-0 win at home to Lecce last time out.
Now that the international break is over, teams across Serie A will be hoping for the healthy return of their players. There is good news for Inter since Inzaghi is set to have most of his players back to full fitness in time for the clash against the Viola and ahead of a chaotic month of football.
The Nerazzurri have recorded just one win in their last five games in all competitions and there has been some consideration that Inzaghi needs to go at the end of the season, with the club having already lost nine games in Serie A with 11 still to play.
However, the mood in the Fiorentina camp is nothing but great at the moment and the club are currently on a seven-match win streak in all competitions. Their narrow victory over Lecce in their last league match made it four consecutive wins in Serie A too, as their European aspirations for next term strengthen.
Preview
Inter
It has been mixed emotions in the Inter camp over the last month. Despite making it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, domestic form has seen a big drop. Inter have recorded just one win in Serie A in their last four games, whilst suffering defeat in the other three. That has seen their Champions League qualification for next season questioned, especially with the possibility of Juve getting their 15 points back.
Defensively, there has been some concerns. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last five matches in the league and rumours have started to hot up on them bolstering their options at the back over the summer, with both Giorgio Scalvini and Merih Demiral linked with a move to the San Siro, especially with thoughts that Alessandro Bastoni could leave at the end of the campaign.
Player to Watch: Lautaro Martinez
Inter’s star player has not been in the best of form of late and has scored just three goals in his last nine games in all competitions. He also missed a penalty against Spezia in the 2-1 defeat earlier this month but his form will be key in improving the Nerazzurri going forward. However, they should also take confidence in the fact that fellow forward Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick against Sweden on international duty. The Belgian is still yet to rediscover his best form for Inter, nevertheless.
Fiorentina
Vincenzo Italiano is loving life with the Viola at the moment and their superb run in the Europa Conference League, that has seen them reach the quarter-finals, has transferred over to Serie A. An impressive 2-1 win at home to Milan to begin March was followed up by back-to-back wins over Cremonese and Lecce, also keeping two clean sheets in the process.
Fiorentina’s away form also looks great too and they have won all four of their last four games on their travels. That also includes two away victories in Serie A where they also kept two clean sheets against Verona and Cremonese respectively.
Player to Watch: Arthur Cabral
The Brazilian striker has started to hit form in Florence having scored seven goals in his last nine games in all competitions. After an underwhelming campaign last season that saw him score just two Serie A goals since joining the club last January, Cabral now has six goals in the league so far this season and looks in good form to add more to his tally here.
Wanted to ask you guys if we should get Romelu Lukaku back for next season? Or would you rather leave him at Inter Milan? pic.twitter.com/etarI1S5ip
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) March 29, 2023
Team News
Robin Gosens and Bastoni are set to return to the squad after missing the Derby d’Italia prior to the international break. The defense was stretched thin against Juve, with Matteo Darmian and Stefan de Vrij coming into the three-man backline, but Inter will be boosted by the return of Bastoni here.
However, fellow central defender Milan Skriniar is not expected to feature, with a likely return expected for the Coppa Italia semi-final clash against the Bianconeri next Tuesday. Inter will also be without Danilo D’Ambrosio who is suspended after being sent off against Juventus last time out.
Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was forced off on national team duty against Croatia, however, after picking up a thigh injury. He is still yet to undergo further tests with the Nerazzurri to assess the full damage but he is unlikely to play against Fiorentina on Saturday.
Backup goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu will be absent after injuring himself in training recently for the Viola but Pietro Terracciano will continue in his usual role in between the sticks. Defender Aleksa Terzic is not expected to feature either since he has now missed the last five games due to injury.
Inter vs Fiorentina Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Pietro Terracciano; Dodo, Nikola Milenkovic, Igor, Cristiano Biraghi; Sofyan Amrabat, Rolando Mandragora; Nicolas Gonzalez, Giacomo Bonaventura, Jonathan Ikone; Arthur Cabral
Inter vs Fiorentina Prediction
Inter should be boosted by the return of players to their squad and they will be desperate for a return to winning ways in the league. They are usually good at the San Siro too, suffering just one defeat in their last six at home.
However, it will certainly be no easy task against Fiorentina and they head into the match in high spirits, ready to cause an upset. Nevertheless, we’re backing a narrow win for the Nerazzurri to get their league form back on track.
Prediction: Inter Win