Coming off a hope-inspiring clean sheet draw against title contenders Napoli, the Nerazzurri make the trip West to take on tricky Sampdoria in Genoa. A decent result here will set the stage for a potentially straightforward run of matches prior to meeting Juventus and Lazio towards the end of the season. Match on Sunday at 12:30 CET
No trip to the Luigi Ferraris is a walk in the park, whether one is squaring off against Sampdoria or their red and blue cousins Genoa. That sentiment is particularly pertinent when one is facing over-achievers of the season Marco Giampaolo’s Sapmdoria. Sampdoria had an exceptionally bright start to the season and had seemed to have cemented themselves as Europa League finishers. A terrible run of form that began last November saw the Blucerchiati lose ground to a resurgent Milan. While Giampaolo seems to have been able to steady the ship, patchy results, like last week’s loss to Crotone, indicate that there’s more work to be done.
While there’s no denying the fact that the Sampdoria roster includes some highly rated top performers in the league, including Inter transfer targets Lucas Torreira and Dennis Praet in midfield, it is clear that their biggest threat comes from veteran striker and top scorer contender Fabio Quagliarella. Quagliarella has scored some sensational goals against the Nerazzurri across his impressive career and his ability to score from the most unlikely of opportunities means that Milan Skriniar and Joao Miranda will have to be on their best tomorrow if they’re to navigate this match successfully.
For the Nerazzurri, the team seems to select itself, the only real question remains to be the central midfield positions. Early season favorites Borja Valero and Matias Vecino seem to have dropped out of Luciano Spaletti’s favor, and while Roberto Gagliardini and Marcelo Brozovic performed admirably against Napoli, consistency is neither’s strong suit. Most worrying for Spaletti will be the team’s ostensible inability to consistently create chances from open play. With both Ivan Perisic and Antononio Candreva’s form in the gutter, the side has been unable to provide meaningful service to whichever striker’s on the pitch, be it Eder or Mauro Icardi.
Spaletti will hope that Rafinha can provide the x-factor in the final third and that the same attitude of relentless pressing and belief can push the team’s performance over the edge of mediocrity and in towards the much needed victory.
Team News
With no real injuries to have to deal with, Spaletti will be able to select his preferred starting eleven regardless of physical condition. It is likely that Spaletti will use the same starting eleven as he did against Napoli, in throwback to the consistency he showed earlier in the season when results were in Inter’s favor.
Probable Inter line-up (subject to change): (4-2-3-1) Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Skriniar, Cancelo; Brozovic, Gagliardini; Perisic, Rafinha, Candreva; Icardi (C)
Stats
Last Season: Sampdoria 1 – 0 Inter
Last 10 Head to Head: While Inter have the better over Samp in the last ten matches with 5 wins to the Blucerchiati’s 3 wins, it is important to note that the last time Inter managed to take all three points at the Marrassi stadium was all the way back in 2014.
Keep an Eye on
Milan Skriniar: The arrival of new signing Milan Skriniar has probably been some of the best business any club across Europe has done this season (the one notable exception is probably Mohammed Salah for Liverpool). The young Slovak has been sensational all season long. Coming up against his old side, he will be especially fired up to put in a strong performance, especially since he’s already scored in the Nerazzurri’s home fixture earlier this season.
Officials
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento
Assistants: Raghetti, Mondin
Fourth Official: Pinzani
Additional Assistants: Mazzoleni, Paganessi
Prediction & Authors Note
Prediction & scorers: Sampdoria 1-3 Inter with Icardi, Rafinha and Skriniar bringing home the points for Inter.
Author’s Note: Baby steps and true grit; although the result against and most of the performance against Napoli were not ideal or perfect, what we saw in that match were signs of the return of a sense of determination and desire in the squad that have been absent since the beginning of the year. If the team manages to rediscover that hunger and slowly build on the incremental positives, Champions League qualification will be ours.
