Serie A Preview: Inter vs Cagliari

Inter Milan’s pursuit of a second consecutive Scudetto continues towards Serie A relegation combatants Cagliari on Saturday late afternoon. Whereas the hosts chase glory on the high, the guests struggle tooth and nail to remain afloat, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown with the whole lot on the road for either side.

Atypically for Simone Inzaghi’s aspect, they let a cushty two-goal halftime cushion slip by their fingers at Parma final weekend. Certainly, a 2-2 draw at Stadio Ennio Tardini was purported to hinder Nerazzurri’s quest to develop into the primary reigning Serie A champions to defend their crown in 5 years.

But, Napoli’s 1-1 draw at Bologna on Monday handed Inter a lifeline, sustaining a three-point hole between the 2 division’s main duo forward of the final seven rounds. Inzaghi’s costs acquired the final word confidence booster forward of their impending residence return as they left it late to beat runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Targets from Lautaro Martinez and Davide Frattesi impressed Inter to a 2-1 victory on the Allianz Area, securing an all-important first-leg defeat forward of subsequent week’s return fixture on the San Siro. With the Champions League semi-final berth nicely inside their grasp, the 20-time Italian champions flip their consideration again to Serie A.

Hoping to throw a spanner within the works can be Cagliari, whose effort to stave off relegation has gained legs within the final two rounds. Certainly, 4 factors towards bottom-half rivals Monza (3-0) and Empoli (0-0) have steered the Sardinians six away from the underside three, setting them up completely for this ‘David vs Goliath’ showdown.

Match Preview

Inter

Undefeated in all competitions since mid-February (W8, D3), Inter will take the sector in excessive spirits as they enter this fixture as odds-on pre-match favorites. Just about unplayable on the San Siro, Inzaghi’s males have gained their final eight residence outings, most lately squeaking previous Udinese 2-1 in Serie A in late March.

Inter have since performed three consecutive away matches (W2, D1), albeit one was the primary leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie towards San Siro rivals Milan. A 1-1 draw left that blockbuster conflict vast open and, extra importantly, stored Inter’s hopes of profitable a primary ‘treble’ since 2009/10 alive and kicking.

Nonetheless, Inzaghi would most likely respect a much less irritating contest on residence turf, the place Inter have solely stored one clear sheet throughout their final six Serie A outings (W5, D1). Confidence comes from a dominant 3-0 win in December’s reverse fixture on the Unipol Domus, although the Nerazzurri could be well-advised to not take the Sardinian outfit with no consideration.

Cagliari

Certainly, Cagliari eked out a shocking 2-2 draw on their final go to to the San Siro in April 2024. Nonetheless, that consequence varieties a part of the Sardinians’ underwhelming run of seven successive away conferences with Inter with out profitable (D2, L5), with their final triumph on this floor relationship again to October 2016.

Dwelling and away, Cagliari haven’t crushed Inter in ten consecutive video games (D2, L8), promising one other lengthy night for the touring trustworthy. Including to this sentiment, Davide Nicola’s males have solely claimed two wins on the highway this Serie A season (D5, L8). But, Cagliari’s defensive resurgence affords a silver lining.

Again-to-back clear sheets towards Empoli and Monza places them on the point of three straight shutouts in league motion for the primary time since October 2012. Although the opposition can hardly be extra formidable, Cagliari can draw coronary heart from conserving their rivals at bay on two of their final 4 Serie A highway journeys (D2, L2).

Crew Information

After being left on the bench towards Bayern Munich within the Champions League as a precautionary measure, Federico Dimarco returns to the squad. The identical goes for Iranian center-forward Mehdi Taremi. Nonetheless, Inter are nonetheless with out Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski.

However, Cagliari will take this journey at full power. Roberto Piccoli will seemingly lead the road in Nicola’s trademark 3-4-2-1 formation, with Nicolas Viola and Zito Luvumbo working behind the Sardinians’ high goalscorer this season.

Inter vs Cagliari Potential Beginning Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bisseck; Zalewski, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Arnautovic, Thuram.

Cagliari (3-4-2-1): Caprile; Palomino, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Adopo, Prati, Augello; Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli.

Inter vs Cagliari Prediction

Regardless of Cagliari’s cussed defensive showings in current matches, this fixture has all of the makings of ‘one other day within the workplace’ for Inter. Inzaghi’s males are in fine condition, no matter final weekend’s hunch at Parma, and will stroll to a different routine victory on the San Siro.

Prediction: Inter to Win