A tricky trip to Florence awaits the dejected Nerazzurri as they look to keep the momentum of the season going by beating their hosts Fiorentina. Match tomorrow Sunday at 20:45 CET.
Fiorentina come into the match in dreadful form, having lost four straight league matches and not winning since October. Under fire coach Vicenzo Montella will also be without the services of his standout summer signing Franck Ribery in whose absence it appears that starlet Federico Chiesa has been unable to replicate his best form.
The silver linings for Montella lie in his opponents’ misfortunes. There can be no doubt that Fiorentina’s strength at the moment lies in their midfield. With the standout player of the season Gaetano Castrovilli alongisde Erik Pulgar and Milan Badelj the Viola possess all the skills, speed and experience needed to win the midfield battle against Inter’s depleted midfield.
Antonio Conte will been to make sure that his wide men Antonio Candreva and ex-Viola Cristiano Biraghi participate in more plays than just running up and down the flank. The Italian duo will be required to perform their wide roles impeccably as well as participate in more traditional midfield responsibilities to help their makeshift midfield partners.
Ensuring that Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku receive the ball early and in space will be critical if Inter are to come home with the three points. The attacking duo will need to constantly find spaces with intelligent off-the-ball running and definitely not be as profligate in front of goal as they have been guilty of against Roma and Barcelona in the last two matches.
This is as close to a season defining match as Conte will get. Having just seen his team crash out of the Champions League, the Italian manager will no doubt do all in his power to keep the top spot in the league table. A match to test this Inter’s DNA to its very core.
Team News
Inter’s midfield injury crisis continues with Stefano Sensi, Nicolo Barella, Roberto Gagliardini and Kwadwo Asamoah all still out with their injuries and looking unliely to return before the winter break.
Another factor to consider in the management of the match is that Marcelo Brozovic is one yellow card away from suspension, making his potential absence in the following match against Genoa absolutely critical.
Probable line-up (3-5-2): Handanovic (C); D’Ambrosio, DiVrij, Skriniar; Candreva, Vecino, Brozovic, Valero, Biraghi; Lautaro, Lukaku.
Stats
Last Season: Fiorentina 3-3 Inter.
Last 10 Head to Head: While Fiorentina have a better overall record against Inter over the last ten matches, closer inspection shows that while the Viola was more dominant in the earlier half of the ten matches, Inter narrowed the gap in the most recent five matches, winning 2 to Fiorentina’s single win.
Keep an Eye on
Matias Vecino and Borja Valero: The ex-Fiorentina midfield duo have become Conte’s midfielders of last resort. The pair have done fairly well against Roma but were exposed against Barcelona. If there’s ever been a time for either player to stake their claim as part of Conte’s long-term plans, this will be it.
This match against their former team will be critical if Inter are to continue their hunt for top-of-table status and the two players must shake off their winless stigma that has followed them the last two matches.
Officials
Referee: Maurizio Mariani.
Assistants: Schenone and Vivenzi.
Fourth Official: Giacomelli.
VAR Assistants: Paganessi and Mazzoleni.
Prediction & Concluding Remarks
Prediction & scorers: Fioretina 0-3 Inter Lautaro, Lukaku and Vecino to win it for Inter.
Concluding remarks: Inter’s best-case scenario will be if Montella lines up his team to come at the Nerazzurri. Should the hosts try and take the match to Inter, they will be likely to leave spaces ripe for Lautaro and Lukaku to attack.
However, if Montella tries to be more pragmatic, then expect the match to be a bit tighter, but in either case, Inter and Conte’s quality will probably prevail.