Serie A Preview: Inter vs Cagliari – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Inter Milan’s pursuit of a second consecutive Scudetto continues against Serie A relegation combatants Cagliari on Saturday late afternoon. While the hosts chase glory at the top, the visitors fight tooth and nail to stay afloat, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown with everything on the line for both sides.

Atypically for Simone Inzaghi’s side, they let a comfortable two-goal halftime cushion slip through their fingers at Parma last weekend. Indeed, a 2-2 draw at Stadio Ennio Tardini was supposed to hinder Nerazzurri’s quest to become the first reigning Serie A champions to defend their crown in five years.

Yet, Napoli’s 1-1 draw at Bologna on Monday handed Inter a lifeline, maintaining a three-point gap between the two division’s leading duo ahead of the last seven rounds. Inzaghi’s charges received the ultimate confidence booster ahead of their impending home return as they left it late to beat runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Davide Frattesi inspired Inter to a 2-1 victory at the Allianz Arena, securing an all-important first-leg defeat ahead of next week’s return fixture at the San Siro. With the Champions League semi-final berth well within their grasp, the 20-time Italian champions turn their attention back to Serie A.

Hoping to throw a spanner in the works will be Cagliari, whose effort to stave off relegation has gained legs in the last two rounds. Indeed, four points against bottom-half rivals Monza (3-0) and Empoli (0-0) have steered the Sardinians six away from the bottom three, setting them up perfectly for this ‘David vs Goliath’ showdown.

Match Preview

Inter

Undefeated in all competitions since mid-February (W8, D3), Inter will take the field in high spirits as they enter this fixture as odds-on pre-match favorites. Virtually unplayable at the San Siro, Inzaghi’s men have won their last eight home outings, most recently squeaking past Udinese 2-1 in Serie A in late March.

Inter have since played three consecutive away matches (W2, D1), albeit one was the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against San Siro rivals Milan. A 1-1 draw left that blockbuster clash wide open and, more importantly, kept Inter’s hopes of winning a first ‘treble’ since 2009/10 alive and kicking.

However, Inzaghi would probably appreciate a less stressful contest on home turf, where Inter have only kept one clean sheet across their last six Serie A outings (W5, D1). Confidence comes from a dominant 3-0 win in December’s reverse fixture at the Unipol Domus, though the Nerazzurri would be well-advised not to take the Sardinian outfit for granted.

Cagliari

Indeed, Cagliari eked out a stunning 2-2 draw on their last visit to the San Siro in April 2024. However, that result forms part of the Sardinians’ underwhelming run of seven successive away meetings with Inter without winning (D2, L5), with their last triumph on this ground dating back to October 2016.

Home and away, Cagliari haven’t beaten Inter in ten consecutive games (D2, L8), promising another long evening for the traveling faithful. Adding to this sentiment, Davide Nicola’s men have only claimed two wins on the road this Serie A season (D5, L8). Yet, Cagliari’s defensive resurgence offers a silver lining.

Back-to-back clean sheets against Empoli and Monza puts them on the brink of three straight shutouts in league action for the first time since October 2012. Though the opposition can hardly be more formidable, Cagliari can draw heart from keeping their rivals at bay on two of their last four Serie A road trips (D2, L2).

Team News

After being left on the bench against Bayern Munich in the Champions League as a precautionary measure, Federico Dimarco returns to the squad. The same goes for Iranian center-forward Mehdi Taremi. However, Inter are still without Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski.

On the other hand, Cagliari will take this trip at full strength. Roberto Piccoli will likely lead the line in Nicola’s trademark 3-4-2-1 formation, with Nicolas Viola and Zito Luvumbo operating behind the Sardinians’ top goalscorer this season.

Inter vs Cagliari Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bisseck; Zalewski, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Arnautovic, Thuram.

Cagliari (3-4-2-1): Caprile; Palomino, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Adopo, Prati, Augello; Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli.

Inter vs Cagliari Prediction

Despite Cagliari’s stubborn defensive showings in recent matches, this fixture has all the makings of ‘another day in the office’ for Inter. Inzaghi’s men are in good shape, regardless of last weekend’s slump at Parma, and should stroll to another routine victory at the San Siro.