Saturday’s Serie A action signs out with a handsomely-looking encounter between Inter and Udinese at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. This fixture will serve as a final warm-up game ahead of the Nerazzurri’s home match against Porto in next midweek’s Champions League action.
Despite firing 25+ shots on goal, Inter could only manage an underwhelming 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Sampdoria on Monday. It was only the third time in their Serie A history that they had as many attempts without scoring. But more importantly, after failing to make it three league wins on the trot, Simone Inzaghi’s men may have given up on their Scudetto hopes for good.
With high-flying Napoli now 15 points clear at the summit, Inter will have to turn their attention toward securing a top-four finish. With only three points separating four contenders for the three remaining Champions League spots, last season’s runners-up can ill-afford a slip-up against a Udinese side they lost to 3-1 in the reverse fixture in mid-September.
However, the visitors are no longer a shadow of a team that enjoyed a superb start to the new Serie A season. Andrea Sottil’s charges spurned two separate first-half leads in last weekend’s action-packed 2-2 home draw against Sassuolo, extending their winless league streak to three games (D2, L1).
Udinese’s lofty European ambitions from the beginning of the season are long gone as they head into this round trailing sixth-placed Lazio by a whopping nine points. But since seventh place may prove enough to land European qualification, the visitors shouldn’t lose hope just yet.
Preview
Inter
Giuseppe Meazza has been a safe shelter for Inter, especially against Udinese. Inzaghi’s lads have won their last four home league clashes against the Friulians by an aggregate score of 9-1, including a comfortable 2-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22. Another win ‘to nil’ could be in store on Saturday.
It’s worth noting that seven of Inter’s eight top-flight clean sheets this season have come on home turf. Yet, entertainment has been relatively sparse at Meazza in 2023. Each of their four home league outings since the turn of the year has yielded an identical 1-0 scoreline (W3, L1), highlighting the potential for a low-scoring affair.
Player to Watch: Lautaro Martinez
Inter will likely rely on Lautaro Martinez to shoulder the scoring burden again, with the talismanic striker scoring winning goals in their last three Serie A victories.
Udinese
Udinese have earned a reputation as ‘stalemate kings’ after drawing a league joint-high nine Serie A matches this season. Against this backdrop, none of their last four away league games have ended level (W1, L3), though there’s been a common theme. Each result (win/loss) in that sequence featured a narrow one-goal margin.
It’s fair to assume Udinese wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils with Inter here, having picked up just one win in their last ten top-flight showdowns against the Nerazzurri (D2, L7). However, their traditionally poor openings may cost them dearly, with the Friulians conceding a league-high eight goals inside the first 15 minutes of play this term.
Player to Watch: Beto
Despite leading the scoring charts at the Dacia Arena this season with seven Serie A goals, towering striker Beto hasn’t scored in his last four league appearances. That could be an added incentive for the in-demand goal-getter to prove his worth at Meazza.
Team News
In addition to long-term absentee Dalbert, Inter will be without injury-prone forward Joaquin Correa on Saturday.
As for Udinese, wantaway winger Gerard Deulofeu remains the only doubt.
Inter vs Udinese Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Andre Onana; Milan Skriniar, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku.
Udinese (3-5-1-1): Marco Silvestri; Rodrigo Becao, Jaka Bijol, Nehuen Perez; Kingsley Ehizibue, Lazar Samardzic, Walace, Tolgay Arslan, Destiny Udogie; Roberto Pereyra; Beto.
Inter vs Udinese Prediction
Some traditions are made to be broken and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Udinese breaking their ‘Meazza jinx’ this weekend. While we expect Inter to dominate proceedings, Sottil’s men are unlikely to sit tight despite having a rough patch.
Both sides have enough firepower to trouble the scoreboard, so a high-scoring contest may also be on the cards.
Prediction: Draw
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