The curtain drops on Serie A Gameweek 27 as runaway leaders Inter and mid-table Genoa go head-to-head at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Monday. It’ll be another chance for Nerazzurri to seal Juventus’ fate in the title race and cement a second star on the jersey.
After Napoli’s 2-1 home triumph against the Turin giants on Sunday, Inter could go 15 points clear at the Serie A summit with a win. Simone Inzaghi will expect nothing less from his side after overseeing 11 consecutive victories in all competitions.
Last midweek’s 4-0 thrashing of Atalanta bookended Nerazzurri’s second-longest winning streak since 1929/30, propelling them to a 12-point lead at the top of the Serie A table. Buoyed by a flawless record in 2024, Inter are well-positioned to knock Genoa off their perch.
Despite a substantial gulf in class, Alberto Gilardino’s men will not go down without a fight. They have only lost once in their last 11 league outings (W4, D6) and head into this game ten points clear of 18th-placed Cagliari, who won 1-0 against Empoli on Sunday.
Genoa can draw further confidence from being just one of three sides to deny Inter three points in the last 20 matches. Radu Dragusin’s equalizer handed the Griffins a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture. But the Romanian defender is no longer part of Gilardino’s squad.
Match Preview
Inter
It’s more than just winning for Inter. It’s the manner in which they humble their rivals. Inzaghi’s men have won their last four league matches while scoring precisely four goals on each occasion, highlighting the potential for another stylish victory.
Free-scoring Lautaro Martinez has been at the thick of Inter’s prolific showings recently, netting in his last three league appearances to take his seasonal tally for Serie A to 23 goals. But as he has never scored against Genoa, the Argentine will have an added motive to maintain his lethal form on Monday.
On the other hand, Nerazzurri’s attacking aspirations have not affected their defensive duties. Indeed, Inter have won their last eight Serie A contests at Giuseppe Meazza, with seven of them accompanied by a clean sheet. Conceding an average of 0.46 per home league game perhaps best illustrates their unparalleled defensive stability.
Genoa
The visitors would probably settle for another draw here, especially knowing Dragusin’s strike in December remains their only goal against Inter across their last nine encounters in Serie A. Seven of their eight previous top-flight meetings had seen the Griffins lose without a reply and via multi-goal margins.
But they’ll be confident of avoiding another catastrophe this time after a 2-0 home win against Udinese last time out saw them end a three-game winless league streak (D2, L1). Adding to Genoa’s enthusiasm, they’ve notably improved their away form in the build-up to this trip, going from seven consecutive road trips without winning (D1, L6) to a five-game unbeaten run on the road (W2, D3).
Genoa will still have to avoid the late lapses of concentration they’ve been prone to on their recent Serie A travels. Two of their three draws during the abovementioned sequence saw them concede in second-half stoppages to drop points.
Team News
Inter will be without their midfield wizard Hakan Calhanoglu, who’s unavailable due to injury. The same goes for Juan Cuadrado and Stefano Sensi. Alessandro Bastoni is not in contention for the matchday squad after accumulating yellow cards.
As for Genoa, talented defender Alan Matturro is still recovering from a long-term injury. But he’s the only visiting player Gilardino can’t count on ahead of this trip. Meanwhile, Mateo Retegui’s recent form suggests the Griffins will not only seek damage limitation at Giuseppe Meazza.
Inter vs Genoa Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Stefan de Vrij, Carlos Augusto; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Kristjan Asllani, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Alexis Sanchez, Lautaro Martinez.
Genoa (3-5-1-1): Josep Martinez; Koni De Winter, Mattia Bani, Johan Vasquez; Stefano Sabelli, Morten Frendrup, Milan Badelj, Junior Messias, Aaron Martin; Albert Gudmundsson; Mateo Retegui.
Inter vs Genoa Prediction
Inter might be the most in-form side across Europe’s traditional top-five leagues. It’s impossible to expect anything other than another Nerazzurri triumph here. Although Genoa will not go down without a fight, we expect Inzaghi’s side to post another multi-goal margin victory.
Prediction: Inter Win
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