Stadio Brianteo forms the backdrop for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Serie A clash between perennial mid-table tenants Monza and defending champions Inter. Sunday’s encounter has all the makings of a ‘mission impossible’ for the home team.
Monza used September’s international break to lick their wounds after squandering a two-goal lead in a morale-wracking 2-2 draw against Fiorentina, coached by their ex-manager Raffaele Palladino. Palladino’s successor, Alessandro Nesta, is still waiting for his first Serie A win in charge of the Biancorossi.
Before being held winless in Tuscany, Monza had picked up just one point in the first two rounds, drawing 0-0 at Empoli on matchday one and losing 1-0 at home to Genoa in the follow-up. Those two underwhelming results formed part of Monza’s four-match scoring duck in top-flight action. But that’s now behind them.
Scoring could be an issue for the home side here. Inter thrashed Monza in both league encounters last season by an aggregate score of 7-1, running out 5-1 victors in this corresponding fixture in January. Another landslide victory is well on the cards, at least given Inter’s scintillating pre-international break form.
After a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw at Genoa on the opening Serie A weekend, the reigning Scudetto holders have gone from strength to strength. A comfortable 2-0 win against minnows Lecce in round two set the tone for an emphatic 4-0 demolition of Europa League winners Atalanta last time out.
As such, Simone Inzaghi’s high-flyers entered the break as one of four Serie A teams to amass seven points from their first three matches. Inter fans will expect nothing less than another success in this mini-Lombard derby.
Match Preview
Monza
Nesta, who has close ties with Inter’s bitter rivals Milan, will have an added motive to end his winless start at Monza this weekend. However, the omens don’t look promising for the hosts. Brianteo has become a feeble fortress since the tail-end of last season.
In fact, four of Monza’s last five home league fixtures have ended in defeat (D1), with the Biancorossi drawing a blank in the most recent two. On top of that, Inter remain responsible for the heaviest defeat in their relatively short Serie A experience, achieving that on this ground, nonetheless.
On a more positive note, Monza held Inter to a 2-2 draw in their first-ever top-flight meeting at Brianteo in January 2023. Taking the lead in the first half could go a long way to replicating that accomplishment, considering seven of Monza’s last ten league outings have seen the halftime result mirrored at the full-time whistle.
Inter
Inter will be desperate to build momentum after a brace of inspiring performances before the international break, as they have a busy week waiting in the wings. Inzaghi’s lads kick off their Champions League campaign with a daunting trip to Manchester City before taking on Milan in the famous Derby della Madonnina.
Though they head into proceedings buoyed by a stunning win against Atalanta, Inter cannot afford to take this contest lightly. After being held by Genoa on day one, they’ve claimed just one win across their last four Serie A travels (D2, L1) – an ominous-looking downfall from a seven-game winning away run beforehand.
Encouragingly, Inzaghi’s frontlines are firing on all cylinders. Led by in-form Marcus Thuram, Inter have netted at least two goals in six of their last seven away league matches. As if that’s not promising enough, they’ve bagged 2+ goals on both previous Serie A visits to Brianteo.
Team News
Nesta cannot call upon the services of goalkeeper Alessio Cragno and wingback Patrick Ciurria. The new Monza boss hopes to have Samuele Birindelli and Dany Mota fit for this mouth-watering fixture, with the latter likely to surrender his place in the starting XI to Gianluca Caprari.
As for Inter, Nicolo Barella is at Inzaghi’s disposal after undergoing nose surgery during the international break. Stefan de Vrij is also back after missing out on the first three league matches. That leaves Tajon Buchanan as the only notable absentee in the traveling camp.
Monza vs Inter Potential Line-ups
Monza (3-4-2-1): Stefano Turati; Armando Izzo, Pablo Mari, Andrea Carboni; Pedro Pereira, Warren Bondo, Matteo Pessina, Giorgos Kyriakopoulos; Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Caprari; Andrea Petagna.
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Carlos Augusto; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Davide Frattesi, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Mehdi Taremi.
Monza vs Inter Prediction
Writings are on the wall for Monza. Their underachieving frontline can hardly trouble Inter’s impregnable defense. With Inter scoring at will in the early season, this promises to be a one-sided match-up.
Prediction: Inter to Win
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