Serie A Week 34 – Saturday 23 April 2022 – San Siro | Preview by Tlalane Phahla – Follow her on Twitter
High off their Coppa Italia semi-final win over arch rivals Milan midweek, Inter shift their attention to their continued scudetto fight as they look to defend their title. The champions will have to put on a show at San Siro against a renascent AS Roma on Saturday afternoon. The victory against Milan not only booked them a spot in the final against Juventus, but it also set them on course for a possible double this season; a feat that will mark a successful debut season for Simon Inzaghi as Inter manager, and ease some of the criticism he has faced this season during Inter’s struggles.
Inter
On paper, this is toughest game left for the champions and there’s no doubt Inzaghi and Inter would have been watching Roma against Napoli on Monday. They have already beaten Roma twice this season in the league and in the Coppa Italia quarter finals, but they know it will not be a walk in the park. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Inzaghi said this game is like a final for them. He acknowledged Roma’s unbeaten run and said they must be ready for it:
“We’re going to be up against one of the best teams in the league, and what’s more they’re in excellent form. We all know who their coach is and what he’s achieved in the past, both at Inter and in other countries. We know it’s a massively important game for us.
“This coming week, with Roma, Bologna and Udinese, is incredibly important for us. We know that and we need to be very smart if we’re to prepare properly for all of them in a week. We’ll need to run hard and play with grit and determination. Between now and the end we’re going to face lots of teams who will try to trip us up.”
Expected XI (3-5-2):Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Skriniar, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Martinez, Dzeko
Match Facts
- Edin Dzeko, who scored in the reverse fixture at the Olimpico, made 199 Serie A appearances for Roma, scoring 85 goals. He has scored 98 goals in the competition, and could become the 90th different player to reach 100 goals in the Italian top-flight.
- Inter remain unbeaten in their last nine Serie A matches against Roma (W3 D6) – the last side to reach 10 straight matches without defeat against the Giallorossi in the competition was Milan between 1988 and 1996 (17).
- Inter have won their last three league games, as many wins as they recorded in their previous 10 games played in 2022 – the Nerazzurri, are with Fiorentina and Udinese (before the postponed game against Salernitana), one of the three teams to have won all their games played in April.
Roma
A trip to San Siro is a reunion for Jose Mourinho with a club he has enjoyed great success with in the past and he is still well appreciated by Nerazzurri fans. While Mourinho still has fond memories about Inter, his side has not won a Serie A game at the Meazza since February 2017. The visitors have been able to collect points in games they have not played well in and the last minute equaliser against Napoli has surely given them confidence coming into this game. A place in the top 4 may look impossible but they are still in the running for next seasons Europa League.
Expected XI (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdop, Veretout, Olivera, Zalewski; Mkhitaryan, Pellgrini; Abraham
Match Facts
- Following his last-minute equaliser against Napoli, Stephan El Shaarawy could score in back-to-back Serie A games for the first time since January 2019. The former Milan player has scored three goals against Inter in the top flight, all at the Meazza stadium in the first half.
- Jordan Veretout made his Serie A debut against Inter in August 2017, with Fiorentina. He scored a 101st minute penalty against the Nerazzurri in February 2019 in a game that finished 3-3.
- Jose Mourinho took charge of Inter for 76 Serie A games between 2008 and 2010, averaging 2.2 points per game – should he lose this match, the Nerazzurri would be the only team against which the Portuguese has lost 100 percent of his matches against (among sides he’s faced more than once in the competition).
Injuries
During the media briefing, Inzaghi confirmed everyone is available for selection, except Arturo Vidal who twisted his ankle against Milan.
According Corriere dello Sport, Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante did not travel with the team to Milan. Mourinho will be without Nicolo Zaniolo who is suspended for the game as well back up keeper Daniel Fuzato who was sent off against Napoli.
