Serie A Preview: Inter vs Cagliari – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Inter Milan’s Serie A title pursuit resumes on Friday as the runaway leaders face relegation-battling Cagliari at Stadio San Siro. Three points in this routine-looking fixture would all but guarantee a 21st Scudetto for the Nerazzurri heading into their Coppa Italia semi-final return leg against Como.

Cristian Chivu’s side pulled off a stunning comeback at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia last weekend, defying the absence of star striker Lautaro Martinez to beat the Lariani 4-3. With both Milan and Napoli dropping points in the previous round, Inter have steered nine points clear at the top of the standings.

Chivu is, therefore, on the verge of becoming only the fourth manager in Serie A history to win the Scudetto before the age of 50. With just six games left to play, it’ll take something unheard of for Inter to lose the title, yet they must avoid complacency here, as they face a side fighting tooth and nail to stave off relegation.

Former Inter striker Sebastiano Esposito turned home a thumping header to propel Cagliari to a precious 1-0 home win over Cremonese last weekend. In doing so, the 23-year-old helped the Islanders post their first league victory since January and end a disappointing four-game losing streak in the top flight.

Match Preview

Inter

In addition to being one step away from winning the league title in his first season in charge of the club, Chivu could guide Inter to their first domestic double since the treble-winning season in 2009/10 under Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the Nerazzurri are potentially 90 minutes away from reaching the Coppa Italia final after holding Como to a scoreless draw in the first leg of their semi-final tie.

However, Inter can ill-afford to take their eyes off the championship, as they look to gather momentum after beating Roma and Como in their last two league outings. Furthermore, Chivu’s free-scoring side netted an eye-catching nine goals across those victories, taking their seasonal tally in Serie A to 75 – at least 19 more than any other side in the league.

The impending return to San Siro bodes well, given that Inter boast a nine-game unbeaten home streak in Serie A (W7, D2). As if that’s not promising enough, a 2-0 win in October’s reverse fixture at the Unipol Domus extended Inter’s undefeated run against Cagliari to 12 matches (W10, D2).

Interestingly, Francesco Pio Esposito, who’s likely to lead the line tonight, scored his maiden Serie A goal against this opposition.

Cagliari

Cagliari boss Fabio Pisacane will put the visitors’ fate in the hands of Pio’s brother Sebastiano, who has scored in back-to-back league appearances for only the second time this season. Whether the former Nerazzurri center-forward can help the Sardinians spring an upset in Lombardy remains to be seen, especially considering they’ve suffered three defeats in their last four away league games (D1).

If it’s any consolation, Pisacane’s charges have found the net on three consecutive Serie A road trips. That may not necessarily help them secure their first top-flight victory at San Siro since 2016, particularly when factoring in their disastrous defensive record at this venue. Indeed, they have conceded at least two goals in their last three away meetings with Inter.

Connoisseurs of action-packed football can look forward to this clash, as Cagliari’s league-high 11 away matches this season have seen both teams on the scoresheet. Still, the visitors have been notoriously prone to slow starts on their travels, conceding the opening goal in ten of their 16 Serie A road matches this term.

Team News

In addition to Lautaro, Inter will be without starting center-back Yann Bisseck and under-fire superstar Alessandro Bastoni. Moreover, Croatian midfielder Petar Sucic must serve a one-game suspension after receiving his fifth yellow card against Como last time out.

On the other hand, Cagliari will take this trip without long-term absentees Mattia Felici and Riyad Idrissi. Italian midfielder Luca Mazzitelli has recently joined them on the sidelines. The same applies to long-serving stalwart Leonardo Pavoletti, whose absence could see Gennaro Borrelli partner up with Esposito in the final third.

Inter vs Cagliari Potential Starting Lineups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, P. Esposito.

Cagliari (3-5-2): Caprile; Ze Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez; Palestra, Folorunsho, Gaetano, Deiola, Obert; S. Esposito, Borrelli.

Inter vs Cagliari Prediction

Even though Chivu is likely to field an understrength lineup, Inter should have enough quality and firepower to overcome Cagliari, just as they did last season. We wouldn’t put it past the Nerazzurri to spice things up with a flurry of goals.