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

Runaway Serie A leaders Inter take on Genoa in the final Saturday fixture, looking to bounce back from their midweek UEFA Champions League exit. With the elite European competition out of the way, the Nerazzurri can now focus on getting the job done in the domestic league.

Surprise package Bodo/Glimt stunned San Siro into silence on Tuesday, beating Inter 2-1 in the return leg of their knockout playoff tie. As a result, the Norwegian champions have progressed into the Round of 16 as 5-2 aggregate winners, while the San Siro giants will miss out on the last 16 for the first time since the 2020/21 season.

Despite faltering in his first European season in charge of the club, Cristian Chivu is on the verge of guiding Inter to their 21st Scudetto. Indeed, his men have gone ten points clear of second-placed Milan at the top of the standings following a 2-0 away win over Lecce last weekend. With only 12 games left to play, it’ll take a miracle for the Rossoneri to overturn this deficit.

On the other hand, Genoa returned to winning ways last weekend with a commanding 3-0 home victory over Torino, snapping a three-game winless league run (D1, L2). In doing so, Daniele De Rossi’s charges have steered three points clear of the bottom three, setting themselves up nicely for this daunting trip to the Lombard region.

Match Preview

Inter

Chivu has lost five of his ten Champions League games in charge of Inter. However, he has only suffered five defeats in 26 Serie A games this term (W21, D1). Furthermore, last season’s runners-up have hit top form in the league, picking up an impressive 13 wins of their last 14 top-flight outings (D1), including seven in a row ahead of this fixture.

Inter have been equally remarkable on home turf, winning nine of their last 11 Serie A games at San Siro (D1, L1). It’s also worth noting that they’ve netted multiple goals in four of their five home league matches in 2025, scoring at least three on three occasions. Particularly lethal in the late stages, Chivu’s lads have bagged a league-high 13 goals beyond the 80th minute this season.

Another free-scoring showing may not be necessary here, considering Inter have won their last 11 Serie A meetings with Genoa at home, keeping the Griffins at bay nine times in that sequence. Another clean sheet is not a foregone conclusion, given that the Nerazzurri have registered just five shutouts in 13 home league games this term.

Genoa

While a potential slip-up wouldn’t harm Inter’s position in the standings much, there’s a slim margin for error for the visitors, who are still fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop. With only three points separating them from 18th-placed Lecce, the Griffins will be desperate to defy the odds at San Siro. However, the last time they left this stadium unbeaten against Inter was in 2012.

Though the odds are stacked against them here, De Rossi’s side can draw confidence from their solid away form of late. Genoa have only lost two of their last eight Serie A matches on the road (W2, D4), including a spirited 1-1 draw against Milan on this ground in January.

De Rossi would likely settle for a point, yet Genoa have lost ten of their last 13 top-flight encounters against Inter (D3), including a 2-1 defeat in December’s reverse fixture at the Marassi. Conceding first would significantly derail the visitors’ chances of upsetting the apple cart, considering they’ve taken just a single point from losing positions away from home this term.

Team News

This clash comes too soon for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, with Ange-Yoan Bonny and Marcus Thuram expected to lead the line in the Argentine’s absence. With Alessandro Bastoni serving a one-game ban, Carlos Augusto could return to the starting XI to fill the void. Despite recovering from a long-term injury, Denzel Dumfries is likely to start on the bench.

As for Genoa, they will be without former Arsenal defender Brooke Norton-Cuffy, who picked up an injury against Torino last time out. Backup goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist is also in the pits, while there’s a chance Sebastian Otoa could make the bench.

Inter vs Genoa Potential Starting Lineups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Augusto; Henrique, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Bonny, Thuram.

Genoa (3-4-1-2): Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Martin; Baldanzi; Vitinha, Colombo.

Inter vs Genoa Prediction

Despite their heartbreaking departure from Europe, Inter should maintain their domestic supremacy against Genoa. It’s impossible to overlook the hosts’ formidable record in this fixture, and it’s hard to expect the Griffins to turn the tables on the Nerazzurri now.