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

Inter return to Serie A action after March’s international break with a routine-looking home clash against mid-table Udinese. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza forms the backdrop for this high-stakes encounter as the reigning holders bid to stay on the upward trajectory.

Fresh off winning the ‘Golden Bench’ award, Inter boss Simone Inzaghi aims to replicate Jose Mourinho’s heroics from 2010 and become only the second Nerazzurri boss to bring home a coveted ‘treble.’ Becoming the first defending champions to reclaim the crown in five years is the first part of the equation.

The 20-time Serie A winners took a giant step to achieving that target on the stroke of the international break. Second-half goals from Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez inspired Inter to a precious 2-0 win at third-placed Atalanta, inflicting a seventh consecutive defeat on Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Meanwhile, closest followers, Napoli, slumped to a scoreless draw at relegation-battling Venezia, allowing Inter to open up a three-point buffer at the table’s summit. Udinese’s situation is quite different as they can’t realistically hope to secure European qualification but remain safe from a potential relegation fight.

Stranded in mid-table lethargy, Kosta Runjaic’s side fell to a heartbreaking 1-0 home loss to Hellas Verona last time out, relinquishing an impressive six-game unbeaten league streak (W4, D2). However, an ominous proposition of back-to-back Serie A defeats for the first time since late January gives away the smell of inevitability as they take on the division’s best team.

Match Preview

Inter

Runaway Serie A leaders will hope the international break hasn’t had an adverse impact on their standout recent run of form, with the Nerazzurri unbeaten across their last seven league outings (W6, D1). Indeed, Inter had hit a purple patch before the club season hit a pause, winning four straight games in all competitions.

Remarkably, Inzaghi’s charges have amassed over 60 points in the first 29 matches of a top-flight campaign for the third time in four seasons. Therefore, Inter should brim with confidence as they aim to equal a club record five successive Serie A wins against Udinese following a dramatic 3-2 win in September’s reverse fixture.

Enthusiasm can only grow higher when factoring in Inter’s formidable run of seven competitive home victories in a row, bookended by a 2-1 triumph against Feyenoord in the Champions League. That result helped Inter book a mouth-watering quarter-final date against record-time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Udinese

The visitors’ best hope of snatching points away could be Inter’s ruthless fixture schedule. Inzaghi’s team will face arch-rivals Milan in the first leg of their blockbuster Coppa Italia semi-final tie as early as next week. Therefore, the hosts must set their priorities straight ahead of Udinese’s visit.

However, Meazza hasn’t been a happy hunting ground of Runjaic’s side by any stretch of the imagination. They’ve lost their last six away league matches against Inter since December 2017 en route to setting an unwanted club record in this fixture. A seventh loss seems unavoidable based on Udinese’s well-documented travel sickness.

The Friulians have only won three of their last 13 away games in all competitions (D4, L6). But that’s not the whole story. Udinese held Lazio and Napoli to identical 1-1 draws in two of their three Serie A road matches since the start of February, proving their ability to cope with the league’s heavy hitters.

Team News

Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro had to withdraw from their national teams prematurely with injuries and won’t be at Inzaghi’s disposal, joining Piotr Zielinski on the sidelines. Furthermore, Inter lost Alessandro Bastoni to a red-card suspension against Atalanta. However, Federico Dimarco, Matteo Darmian, and Nicola Zalewski have returned from lengthy spells in the treatment room.

As for Udinese, backup goalkeeper Razvan Sava and long-term absentee Isaak Toure remain unavailable. The same goes for ex-Inter forward Alexis Sanchez, while Florian Thauvin could make the starting XI after overcoming a minor fitness problem. Meanwhile, Hassane Kamara is back from a one-game ban.

Inter vs Udinese Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Augusto; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Correa, Thuram.

Udinese (3-5-2): Okoye; Kristensen, Bijol, Solet; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Kamara; Thauvin, Lucca.

Inter vs Udinese Prediction

With high-profile Champions League and Coppa Italia match-ups on the horizon, Inter must build a head of steam and keep momentum to bolster their ‘treble’ dream. Despite Udinese’s sturdiness, Inzaghi’s charges should stroll to another three points in their quest to defend the Scudetto.