Back to domestic proceedings following a triumphant Champions League midweek, Serie A title hopefuls Inter entertain bottom-half strugglers Sampdoria at Giuseppe Meazza. Fresh from pipping Barcelona to a runner-up spot in a highly-competitive Group C, the Nerazzurri will be looking to give their former midfield stalwart Dejan Stankovic an unpleasant reunion present.
Romelu Lukaku painted his long-awaited return to the fold with flying colors as Inter thumped Group C minnows Viktoria Plzen 4-0 on Wednesday to seal progression into the knockouts with a game to spare. Simone Inzaghi’s side headed into the so-called ‘group of death’ as only the third-favorites to advance to the round of 16, with not even the club hierarchy fancying their chances of securing a top-two finish.
In the aftermath, Inter CEO Beppe Marotta confirmed the club’s summer budget was drawn up, with them anticipating another group stage elimination. However, the Nerazzurri have defied the odds and are keen to translate their eye-catching European form to the domestic front. Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s comic last-gasp winner catapulted Inzaghi’s team to a dramatic 4-3 Serie A triumph at Fiorentina last weekend.
After stringing together three successive league victories, last season’s Serie A runners-up head into proceedings lagging only three points behind fourth-placed Atalanta. With Inter’s bid to secure a sixth consecutive top-four finish up and running, early relegation candidates Sampdoria may need to wait for a better opportunity to pursue all-important points.
New manager Stankovic inspired the Blucerchiati to a narrow 1-0 win away to fellow relegation fighters Cremonese last time out, breaking their Serie A duck for the season. Indeed, it took Sampdoria 11 games into the 2022/23 top-flight campaign to post their first victory (D3, L7 beforehand), which explains their underwhelming 18th place in the table.
Match Preview
Inter
Inter’s worst 11-game Serie A start since 2016/17 (W7, L4) puts them eight points off the Scudetto pace, meaning they need to embark on a substantial winning streak to claw their way back into the title race. An ongoing run of three straight league triumphs looks like a promising start, with Sampdoria’s forthcoming visit to Meazza boding well for the hosts’ bid to keep it going.
Having gone unbeaten in nine of their last ten Serie A meetings with La Doria (W8, D1), Inter are overwhelming favorites to reach the win column for the fourth time on the spin. Adding to this sentiment, the Nerazzurri have been victorious in their last five top-flight H2Hs on home turf and could equal the club’s longest-ever winning Serie A streak against Sampdoria with another success here.
Interestingly, none of the home side’s last 20 Serie A outings have ended as a draw, which is only three games shy of the club’s longest such run dating back to the 1940s. Delivering action from the get-go, Inter have netted a league-high six goals in the opening 15 minutes of play in the 2022/23 Serie A season, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start.
Sampdoria
Unlike their hosts, who boast the league’s fourth-best scoring record this term (22), Sampdoria have found goals hard to come by in Serie A so far. The Blucerchiati have found the back of the net a meager six times across the opening 11 league rounds, accounting for the division’s lowest scoring tally to date.
Stankovic, an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s golden Inter generation in the 2010s, returns to Meazza as a foe, looking to steer his side off the relegation zone. Despite Sampdoria’s worst scoring start to a top-flight season since 1975/76 and a dreadful average of 0.54 points per match, La Doria are still flirting with safety.
Only two points adrift of 17th-placed Lecce, Sampdoria could escape the relegation zone at the end of this round should they upset the odds at Meazza. However, the visitors’ woeful Serie A form has seen them register just one win across their last 20 league outings, making it hard to believe they can knock Inter off their perch.
Inter vs Sampdoria Potential Line-ups
Inter (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Francesco Acerbi; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Joaquin Correa, Lautaro Martinez.
Sampdoria (4-2-3-1): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszynski, Bruno Amione, Omar Colley, Tommaso Augello; Tomas Rincon, Gonzalo Villar; Manolo Gabbiadini, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Filip Djuricic; Francesco Caputo.