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

One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the Serie A calendar pits old rivals Inter and Lazio against each other. Sunday’s encounter at Stadio San Siro presents both teams with an opportunity to enter the international break in high spirits. 

Inter seized Napoli’s scoreless home draw against Como last weekend to close the gap to a single point with a last-gasp 2-1 win at Hellas Verona. Cristian Chivu’s side maintained their rich vein of form in midweek Champions League action, beating debutants Kairat Almaty by the same scoreline on home turf.

However, Inter’s performance against the Kazakh champions left plenty to be desired, with Federico Dimarco admitting after the game that his side ‘underestimated’ Kairat. Kairat’s unexpected goal at San Siro denied Chivu a historic milestone as he was on the brink of becoming the first manager to win his first four Champions League games without conceding.

Meanwhile, Lazio bounced back from a gut-wrenching 0-0 draw at newly promoted Pisa with a 2-0 home victory over perennial strugglers Cagliari on Monday. Despite extending their unbeaten run in Serie A to six matches (W3, D3), there’s no room for complacency, as they trail fourth-placed Roma by six points before the kick-off.

This upcoming visit to Inter’s home ground doesn’t bode well for Lazio’s bid to stay the course, given that their last league win at San Siro dates back to March 2019. Yet, three consecutive away clean sheets can inspire confidence around Maurizio Sarri’s camp.

Match Preview

Inter

Inter’s response to a controversial 3-1 defeat at Napoli in late October has been nothing short of emphatic. Chivu’s men have since won three consecutive games in all competitions, including a 3-0 rout of Fiorentina in their last league outing at San Siro, netting multiple goals on each occasion.

Those victories form part of the home side’s formidable run of ten wins from their last 11 competitive matches (L1). Therefore, it’s no wonder Inter head into proceedings as favorites to claim bragging rights in this mouth-watering fixture and extend their unbeaten league streak against Lazio to six clashes for the first time since 2010.

Furthermore, Chivu has rebuilt Inter’s home fortress, with the Nerazzurri on the cusp of their sixth successive win at San Siro. Still, after drawing their last two home showdowns against Lazio, Inter would be naive to take anything for granted.

All eyes will be on Lautaro Martinez, who’ll be out to halt a three-game scoring drought in Serie A after netting his 160th goal for Inter against Kairat on Wednesday.

Lazio

Lazio may have strung together three shutouts on hostile turf, but it’s worth noting that two of them came against bottom-half minnows Pisa and Genoa. Another clean sheet seems like the visitors’ best chance of defying their dreadful away record in Serie A this season (W1, D2, L2), given their notorious scoring problems outside the Olimpico.

Indeed, Sarri’s men have failed to get on the scoresheet on four of their five league road trips in 2025/26, except for a 3-0 victory over Genoa in late September. Yet, since that 1-0 win in 2019, Lazio have gone six successive top-flight visits to Inter without a clean sheet.

Furthermore, just one of Lazio’s ten Serie A matches this season saw both teams score, highlighting the importance of finding the opening goal. That suits the Biancocelesti, who have netted a league-high four unanswered goals inside the first ten minutes this season.

Team News

Veteran midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the only notable absentee in the Inter camp. In addition to welcoming Matteo Darmian back to the squad, Chivu also has star center-forward Marcus Thuram at his disposal, with the Frenchman in contention for his first Serie A start since September.

On the other hand, Lazio will be without first-team stars, including first-choice striker Taty Vastellanos. In-form winger Matteo Cancellieri is also out with a muscle injury, joining long-term absentees Nicolo Rovella, Samuel Gigot, and Nuno Tavares on the sidelines.

Inter vs Lazio Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

Atalanta (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Gila, Provstgaard, Marusic; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Basic; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni.

Inter vs Lazio Prediction

Despite steadying the ship following an underwhelming start to the season, Lazio cannot realistically hope to topple Inter here. The visitors’ well-documented scoring woes on the road could be their undoing on Sunday as we back the Nerazzurri to strengthen their position in the standings with another home win.