Games against teams at the Marassi are usually one of the toughest for the Nerazzurri. Sampdoria have won 3 of their last 6 games against Inter, drawing just one. Inter’s form this second half of the season can be compared to the movement of a simple seesaw, nevertheless they have lost just three times in total this term. Below Sunday’s lunchtime kick off is previewed using whoscored.com for what should be an interesting test for the Nerazzurri, in terms of resilience and tenacity.
Attack:
The Nerazzurri have average 1.6 goals per game from 14.7 shots per game, resulting to the 42 league goals they have scored this season. Inter have scored just 15 times in their away fixtures this season and have scored only 3 goals in their previous 6 games on the road. Sampdoria on the other hand have netted 47 goals, averaging 1.7 goals per game from 13.4 shots per game. Veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella is the club’s main hitman with 17 goals, just one under Inter’s most prolific goalscorer and captain Mauro Icardi.
Defence:
Inter have kept just two clean sheets in their previous 8 games and have conceded 21 goals from 11.9 shots per game. The Nerazzurri currently holds the third best defence in the league after Napoli and league leaders Juventus. The Blucerchiati have allowed 38 goals from 14.9 shots per game. Inter have average 16.6 tackles per game and 11.2 interceptions per game, with Danilo D’Ambrosio and Roberto Gagliardini leading the line with 2.9 tackles per game and 1.7 interceptions per game respectively. Milan Skriniar and his partner in crime Miranda have 4.7 clearances per game and 0.9 block per game respectively. Marco Giampaolo boys have 16.5 tackles per game and 8.7 interceptions per game. Lucas Torreira stamps his authority with 2.9 tackles per game and 2 interceptions per game.
Moving the ball:
Majority of the Inter’s attacking plays originates from the right side, basically 40% of it. Automatically activating Candreva as the key member in the build up: average 2.2 crosses per game, 2.5 key passes and have also registered 8 assists. While 34% is attributed to the left side and the remaining 26% is coming through the middle. The Nerazzurri have 488 short passes per game, 49 long balls per game, 28 crosses per game and 1 through ball per game. Borja Valero have 62.6 average passes and 91.3% pass success (Skriniar has 91.5%). Inter have 53.9% ball possession and 85.3% pass accuracy versus Sampdoria’s 52.9% ball possession and 82.2% pass accuracy.
Whoscored Rating Leaders:
Perisic (7.33), Skriniar (7.31) and Icardi (7.24) remain Inter’s top rated players while Torreira (7.30), Quagliarella (7.21) and Praet (6.98) are Sampdoria’s best performers this campaign.
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