A hard fought win against Lazio launches Inter onto their next quest for three points in Genoa against Sampdoria. Kick-off tomorrow Saturday at 18:00 CET.
To call Sampdoria’s start to the season miserable would be a gross understatement. With four losses out of their first five fixtures in the Serie A, the Blucerchiati are sitting pretty at the bottom of the league. With the future of the club’s ownership still in limbo and the squad once again mostly plundered over the summer, newly appointed manager Eusebio Di Francesco (EDF) has had a torrid time getting all the various pieces of his squad to gel.
That said, a closer inspection of their fixture list in the Serie A will leave the observer with far more of an understanding that things might not be as bleak for Samp as one might have quickly deduced; Sampdoria lost against a strong Lazio in their opening match, then two away losses to Sassuolo and Napoli but managed to claim a win at home against gritty Torino, followed by a loss away to Fiorentina. The point here is that perhaps Sampdoria might be not be the write-offs that most pundits have framed them as.
It is clear that Samp have a huge problem in defense, and the sending off of Jeison Murillo last match will mean that their defense will be further weakened against Inter. EDF’s best bet in getting a result will be to try and implement a high press on Inter, preventing them from finding their rhythm.
Expect the Nerazzurri to once again rely on some minor rotation for the match. Antonio Conte will most certainly rely on the same tactics that have led to his team’s five consecutive wins, but a slight change in personnel will be needed to maintain the squad’s overall fitness, especially in light of the crucial midweek trip to Barcelona in the Champions League.
Inter’s biggest obstacle in the match will probably be a combination of fatigue and potential complacency. This match being the fifth out of seven matches to be played in a twenty day stretch means that inevitably, some players’ fitness might not be 100%. Combining fatigue with the potential notion that this might be an “easy” match could lead to a sub-par performance and result from the team.
If Inter are able to come back home with all three points here, it will set the team up perfectly to face the double whammy of the midweek match against Barcelona followed by the Derby D’Italia next weekend.
Team News
No injuries and no suspensions. One might expect to see Diego Godin rested ahead of the important midweek trip to Barcelona, and it is similarly possible to see Nicolo Barella rested with Roberto Gagliardini stepping into his place.
Probable line-up (3-5-2): Handanovic (C); D’Ambrosio, DiVrij, Skrinniar; Candreva, Gagliardini, Brozovic, Sensi, Asamoah; Lukaku, Lautaro.
Stats
Last Season: Sampdoria 0 – 1 Inter.
Last 10 Head to Head: With six wins to their names, Inter have a 2:1 lead in victories between the two sides. Similarly interesting, Inter have beaten Samp in their last four matches, two of which have been in Genoa.
Keep an Eye on
Lautaro Martinez: Martinez is becoming a bit of an enigma. The young Argentine is able to pull of some of the most sophisticated build-up play and off the ball work showing nous and maturity beyond his age, however, he is also similarly capable at squandering the most straightforward of opportunities.
If Lautaro is to develop into the world class striker he and we all believe him to be, he must be more clinical in front of goal. After his equally impressive and profligate performance against Lazio, expect Conte to have had a word with him and hopefully we will see more tangible results tomorrow.
Officials
Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese.
Assistants: Daniele Bindoni and Mauro Galetto.
Fourth Official: Massimiliano Irrati.
VAR Assistants: Fabrizio Pasqua and Luca Mondin.
Prediction & Concluding Remarks
Prediction & scorers: Sampdoria 0-2 Inter with Lautaro and Lukaku scoring.
Concluding remarks: Despite Sampdoria having had the worst start to the season, one cannot expect them to be pushovers here. Di Francesco will probably throw away his attacking playbook in favor of a more defensively solid performance, hoping that a draw can be the platform on which he can relaunch Samp’s season.