Serie A Gameweek 22 caps off with a lopsided contest between relegation-battling Sampdoria and top-four hopefuls Inter on Monday. Stadio Luigi Ferraris forms the backdrop for this high-stakes contest that could determine Dejan Stankovic’s managerial future in Genoa.
Despite halting a wasteful five-match losing run in all competitions, a stoppage-time penalty denied Sampdoria victory over top-flight debutants Monza in an enthralling 2-2 away draw last Monday. Time is ticking for under-fire Stankovic to start delivering the goods as his relegation-threatened side commence this round a whopping nine points adrift of safety.
With their 11-campaign Serie A stay under serious threat, Sampdoria may not hesitate to show Stankovic the door unless his men produce something special against a more heavily fancied Inter. Beating the Nerazzurri is a Herculean task in a nutshell, as the hosts have lost their last two league H2Hs by an identical 3-0 scoreline.
And while Sampdoria’s top-flight status hangs by a thread, Inter seem to be building a head of steam with back-to-back league wins over Cremonese and arch-rivals Milan. Sought-after forward Lautaro Martinez maintained his goalscoring spree with a match-winning goal in last weekend’s Derby della Madonnina, catapulting the Nerazzurri to second in the table.
Simone Inzaghi’s men may be Napoli’s nearest title competitors, but a substantial 13-point gap at the beginning of this round means Inter’s Scudetto hopes are dead in the water. There’s a more pressing issue that requires the visitors’ undivided attention. They currently sit only four points clear of fifth-placed Lazio, so their Champions League ambitions remain in the balance.
Preview
Sampdoria
Sampdoria have ominously lost their last six home outings in Serie A without scoring for the first time since 1976, underlining the club’s precarious position in the top flight. Another scoring blank would see La Samp set another unwanted record. It would mark the second instance in their Serie A history that they’ve failed to get on the scoresheet in three successive meetings with Inter, last doing so in 1950.
However, after losing nine of their last 11 league clashes against the Nerazzurri (W1, D1), Sampdoria fans have every reason to doubt their side’s chances on Monday. If they somehow defy the odds, Stankovic’s team would go back-to-back Serie A games for the first time since April 2022.
Player to Watch: Filip Djuricic
You might be surprised to see Filip Djuricic as our first choice, but the Serbian forward has tallied three goal contributions in his last six appearances against Inter, scoring once and delivering two assists.
Inter
Consistency has been a problem for Inter on the road this season, as evidenced by their indifferent ten-game league record outside Giuseppe Meazza (W5, D1, L4). Indeed, Inzaghi’s charges have alternated between winning and not in their last five Serie A away matches (W3, D1, L1), with each win in this sequence yielding a single-goal margin.
If it’s any comfort, Inter have scored at least twice on their last three league travels (W2, D1) since a disheartening 2-0 defeat at Juventus in early November. That’s also a feat they’ve managed in three of their five most recent top-flight visits to Sampdoria, so the Nerazzurri should be confident about packing a punch on Monday.
Player to Watch: Lautaro Martinez
Given the Argentine’s superb domestic form in 2023, it can be no one else. Martinez has found the net in four out of six league outings since the turn of the year, including winning strikes against Cremonese and Milan in the last two rounds.
Team News
If Sampdoria’s humiliating run of form wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits at Ferraris, injuries and suspensions should do the trick. In addition to long-term absentee Andrea Conti, the hosts will be without Manuel De Luca, Fabio Quagliarella, Abdelhamid Sabiri, and Ignacio Pusseto due to physical problems. Mehdi Leris is also out of contention after accumulating yellow cards.
As for Inter, injury-prone forward Joaquin Correa is the only notable absentee.
Sampdoria vs Inter Potential Lineups
Sampdoria (3-4-3): Emil Audero; Bruno Amione, Bram Nuytinck, Koray Gunter; Alessandro Zanoli, Michael Cuisance, Harry Winks, Tommaso Augello; Filip Djuricic; Manolo Gabbiadini, Sam Lammers.
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.
Sampdoria vs Inter Prediction
There might be a parallel universe where Sampdoria would stand a chance in this fixture. But we’re afraid we’re not living in it.
Prediction: Inter Win
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