Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter and Roma go head-to-head in one of the most exciting Serie A fixtures of the weekend. With both sides still lagging behind their seasonal goals, stakes will be high in this top-five six-pointer.
Inter head into proceedings with confidence sky-rocketing following an overwhelming 3-0 victory over bitter rivals Milan in midweek Coppa Italia action. Having reached the competition’s grand final for the first time since 2010/11, the Nerazzurri remain hopeful of claiming their first domestic double in over a decade.
Roma will be looking to throw a spanner in the works and maintain their faint hopes of whittling down a five-point gap on fourth-placed Juventus. The visitors’ bid to qualify for next season’s Europa League are still up in the air, let alone their Champions League hopes, though much could change in the season finale.
Match Preview
Inter
Inter have won their last three Serie A matches by an aggregate score of 6-1, as many league triumphs as they had in their ten previous outings. Indeed, alongisde Fiorentina and Udinese, Simone Inzaghi’s men are one of only three sides to have won all Serie A games played in April.
The Nerazzurri will feel confident about staying on the upwards trajectory, given that they remain unbeaten in their last nine Serie A meetings with Roma (W6, D3). It has been almost two-and-a-half decades since the Giallorossi last went ten Serie A H2Hs without winning, courtesy of a ten-game winless run against Milan between 1988 and 1996.
Inter thrashed Roma 3-0 in the reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico, making it two H2H league wins on the spin. Another victory would see them win three successive Serie A matches against the Olimpico outfit for the first time since 1999. Though they are unbeaten at Meazza in their last four top-flight H2Hs, three of them have ended level (W1).
Roma
Stephan El Shaaraway notched up a last-gasp equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw for Roma at title-bidding Napoli last time out. Though a dramatic stalemate in Naples knocked the Giallorossi down from a three-game winning Serie A streak, they will take the field in a confident mood.
Indeed, coming into this matchday, Roma boast the league-best 12-match unbeaten Serie A run (W7, D5), their longest such streak in the competition since May 2016. Much of the credit for their rich vein of form goes to a rock-solid backline that has kept four clean sheets in their last seven league outings, conceding precisely once in the other three.
Since succumbing to a dreadful 3-1 defeat to Milan in early January, Roma have alternated between triumphs and stalemates in their last six away league games (W3, D3). However, it is worth mentioning that those three victories have come at the expense of sides currently stuck in the bottom half of the table.
Inter vs Roma Team News
Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal remains the only injury concern for Inter boss Inzaghi ahead of this fixture. The reigning Serie A champions will turn to in-form forward Lautaro Martinez to lead the charge at Meazza following his match-winning performance against Milan.
The Argentine striker racked up a first-half brace to lay the foundation for Inter’s morale-boosting triumph over arch nemesis. Joining Martinez in the front third could be Joaquin Correa instead of ex-Roma star Edin Dzeko, who has suffered a dip in form.
Roma will be without talismanic forward Nicolo Zaniolo through suspension. However, Mourinho will welcome Euro 2020 hero Leonardo Spinazzola back to the fold for the first time this season, though the Italian full-back is more likely to start on the bench.
Inter Potential Starting XI (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Stefan de Vrij, Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ivan Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.
Roma Potential Starting XI (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Rick Karsdorp, Bryan Cristante, Sergio Oliveira, Nicola Zalewski; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Tammy Abraham.