This Sunday 28 August 2016 sees Inter start their 2016/17 Serie A home campaign when they play host to Palermo (kick-off 18:00 CET).
Inter tasted defeat last weekend at the hands of Chievo Verona in what was a really embarassing performance, with no disrespect to the side from Verona. A Valter Birsa double granted the flying donkeys all three points on the day. A peculiar formation choice and strategy in general from Frank De Boer in his first match in charge ultimately caused the defeat.
Palermo on the other hand lost to Sassuolo on home soil. Palermo were on the receiving end of a relentless neroverdi, who had chance after chance and could’ve and probably should’ve won by a larger margin. Domenico Berardi was the only one who found the net on the night and did so from the spot.
Team news
After missing out last week Jeison Murillo will likely be back in the starting line-up after serving his suspension. Reports suggest Inter will also deploy a four man defence opposed to the three man defence deployed against Verona. Cristian Ansaldi‘s name won’t be on the team sheet as he continues to recover from injury while Caner Erkin‘s is unlikely to be there either if reports linking him with a move away are to be believed.
Probable line-up (subject to change): (4-3-3) Handanovic; Nagatomo, Murillo, Miranda, D’Ambrosio; Brozovic, Kondogbia, Banega; Perisic, Icardi, Candreva
Stats
The sides have clashed heads in the top flight 56 times (including the Ambrosiana Inter days in the 1930’s). Just under half of these meetings have came since 2004, the first time the sides faced off after 31 years of not doing so as Palermo languished in the lower tiers. Since 2004, Inter have won 11 of the meetings while Palermo have just won three. Interestingly, Palermo have never left the Meazza victorious in all the meetings between the clubs, despite coming close on a few occasions. Furthermore, all bar three of the fixtures have seen at least one goal, the last of these 0-0’s coming in 2007.
Inter won 3-1 last time out with thanks to goals from Adem Ljajic, Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic and the last time they played in Sicily it ended with the points being shared.
Officials
Carmine Russo di Nola is the referee for the fixture and his linesmen are Preti and Fiorito. Schenone is the fourth official for the tie and Calvarese and Aureliano are the two other assistants.
Prediction and Authors Note
A victory for Inter seems almost inevitable in this fixture, if the history is anything to go by. Palermo are by far a weaker side than last term while I’d like to think Inter are stronger, even just on paper than last term. Two of the last three meetings have seen Inter score three times, I don’t believe Inter will get as many as that this time round and a more suitable prediction is a narrow scoreline but Inter will dominate proceedings and should probably have had more than they get.