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

Inter Milan’s bid to defend their Serie A title is on the line as they meet bottom-half Hellas Verona in a must-win home fixture. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza forms the backdrop for the reigning champions’ bid to recover from a torrid domestic run.

Back from injury, Denzel Dumfries delivered a man-of-the-match performance in a goal-glutted 3-3 draw at Barcelona on Wednesday. The Dutch wingback notched his first Champions League brace and set up Marcus Thuram for an early opener as Inter pulled off a decent result in Catalonia.

Despite remaining firmly in contention for their second appearance in the grandest European final, the feel-good factor has deserted Inter’s premises. Consecutive league defeats to Bologna and Roma without scoring have seen Napoli leapfrog the Nerazzurri at the table’s summit, opening up a three-point gap.

A 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals only added insult to injury. Therefore, Inter will be out to atone for their recent slumps against familiar opposition. Verona’s 2-0 defeat to Cagliari on Monday deepened at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, marking their fifth consecutive winless outing in Serie A (D3, L2).

Though marred by a rotten patch, Paolo Zanetti’s charges remain seven points clear of 18th-placed Venezia. With only four games left, the Gialloblu should complete their seasonal goal and secure top-flight survival with minimal investments in the transfer window.

Match Preview

Inter

Only a few weeks ago, Inter looked on course to become the first Serie A champion to defend their crown since Juventus. Moreover, Simone Inzaghi’s men were firmly in pursuit of a historic quadruple. However, those dreams came crashing down in quick succession, leaving them on the edge of a first trophyless season under the ex-Lazio manager.

Given Napoli’s unforgiving mood, this is a textbook definition of a must-win contest for Inter, and history unequivocally backs them for success. Indeed, the 20-time Italian champions have never lost a home encounter against upcoming rivals Verona (W22, D11), including seven consecutive victories at this stadium since a 2-2 draw in 2014.

Inter also trounced Zanetti’s team 5-0 in November’s reverse fixture, making it for promising reading as they hope to bounce back from a five-game winless streak in all competitions (D2, L3). However, the hosts are at risk of losing three consecutive home matches for the first time in over two years, testifying to the intricate nature of this clash.

Hellas Verona

Despite back-to-back league losses without a reply in the build-up to this meeting, Verona last suffered three successive defeats in Serie A in December. Ominously, the abovementioned thrashing in the reverse fixture against Inter bookended that run, painting a bleak picture for the out-of-sorts visitors.

With Inter far from their best, Verona may have an outside chance to defy their dreadful traveling record this season. Only two Serie A sides have lost more away league matches than Gialloblu’s ten, perhaps best illustrating the scale of the challenge. However, there’s a silver lining, with Zanetti’s team avoiding defeat on two of their last three Serie A travels (W1, D1).

Any upset on Meazza will likely hinge on Verona’s capacity to fend off Inter’s formidable frontline, considering the visitors have failed to get on the scoresheet in four of their last five league outings. What’s worse, three of those four scoring blanks came against fellow bottom-half strugglers.

Team News

Inter cannot catch a break with injuries this season. On the day Dumfries and Thuram returned to the starting line-up, Inzaghi lost his captain, Lautaro Martinez, to a thigh problem. French defender Benjamin Pavard is also on the sidelines, while Hakan Calhanoglu must serve a one-game ban for accumulated yellow cards.

Meanwhile, Verona defensive stalwart Pawel Dawidowicz remains in the treatment room with a muscle injury. The same goes for Abdou Harroui and Davide Faraoni. The visitors’ personnel problems don’t end there, with Daniele Ghilardi and Diego Coppola ruled out by suspension.

Inter vs Hellas Verona Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Augusto; Darmian, Frattesi, Asllani, Zielinski, Zalewski; Arnautovic, Correa.

Hellas Verona (3-4-2-1): Montipo; Daniliuc, Valentini, Frese; Tchatchoua, Duda, Serdar, Bradaric; Suslov; Sarr, Mosquera.

Inter vs Hellas Verona Prediction

Fatigue has already curtailed Inter’s treble dream and now threatens to spoil their Scudetto aspirations. However, Inzaghi’s team should beat Verona despite tired legs, even though it may not be pretty.