Sunday’s Serie A action caps off at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as runaway leaders Inter Milan entertain bottom-half Cagliari. The hosts are odds-on to take three points, but the visitors will be out to put up a fight amidst a fierce battle against relegation.
Inter can already sense the smell of a landmark 20th Scudetto. Second-half goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Davide Frattesi saw Simone Inzaghi’s side overturn a 1-0 halftime deficit in a 2-1 away win against Udinese on Monday. That win preserved their clear-cut 14-point lead on second-placed Milan at the end of last round.
With only 21 points still in play, Inter will probably climb to the podium for the first time since 2020/21, irrespective of the outcome of this contest. However, anything other than a victory would be an epic upset, considering Nerazzurri’s formidable record against Cagliari.
A 2-0 triumph in August’s reverse fixture marked their fifth straight win against the Sardinian outfit. Keen to buck that trend, Claudio Ranieri’s men head into this clash off the back of a come-from-behind 2-1 home success against Atalanta. It was Cagliari’s third win in their last five Serie A matches, highlighting the confidence streaming through their veins.
Ranieri knows better than to let his side’s decent run carry him away. Only four points separate Cagliari from the bottom three at the start of this round.
Match Preview
Inter
History beckons for Inter this Sunday as a win would see them become the first club in the ‘three points per win’ era to claim 85 points after 32 Serie A games. Not even the most optimistic Cagliari fans would bet against Nerazzurri to achieve that record, especially at Giuseppe Meazza.
Inzaghi’s men have been virtually unplayable at home, winning nine of their last ten matches across all competitions (D1). Seven triumphs in that sequence came ‘to nil’ to suggest Inter could make more history this weekend.
Having won their last five top-flight meetings with Cagliari, Inter could make it six on the trot for the first time in the club’s history. It’s also worth noting that three of those five wins came without a reply, underscoring the potential for upholding the division’s best defensive record.
Cagliari
As the only Serie A sides yet to hit double digits on the road – with only nine away goals scored – Cagliari face an uphill task of penetrating a defense that only conceded 15 league goals this season. But the Sardinians have recently fared well against big-name opponents.
In addition to beating Atalanta, they held Napoli to a credible 1-1 draw in February. Those results only mask the truth. Cagliari’s travel sickness is long-standing, with the visitors only winning one of their last 11 competitive games on the road (D2, L8).
On top of that, Cagliari’s latest visit to San Siro was an unmitigated disaster. Inter’s arch-rivals Milan thumped Ranieri’s team 4-1 in February’s Coppa Italia action, deciding the match with three unanswered goals inside the opening 50 minutes.
Team News
Long-term absentee Juan Cuadrado is still unavailable. The same goes for Stefan de Vrij, who’s out with a muscle problem. Inzaghi’s selection headaches don’t end there. Inter will be without their captain, Lautaro Martinez, due to a yellow-card ban, which is also the case with Benjamin Pavard.
As for Cagliari, Andrea Petagna, Leonardo Pavoletti, and Marco Mancosu are in the treatment room. Moreover, accumulated yellow cards rule the likes of Alessandro Deiola, Zito Luvumbo, and Nahitan Nandez out of this trip.
Inter vs Cagliari Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marko Arnautovic, Marcus Thuram.
Cagliari (4-3-2-1): Simone Scuffet; Gabriele Zappa, Yerry Mina, Alberto Dossena, Tommaso Augello; Antoine Makoumbou, Ibrahim Sulemana, Matteo Prati; Gianluca Gaetano, Gaetano Oristanio; Gianluca Lapadula.
Inter vs Cagliari Prediction
It’s take something special from Cagliari to avoid defeat at Meazza. Even without Martinez, Inter are still the most lethal squad in Serie A with 75 goals. One goal could be enough in this fixture, given the visitors’ well-documented scoring woes on the road.
However, we back Inter to get on the scoresheet multiple times and take another step toward the Scudetto.
Prediction: Inter Win
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