Having hobbled to victory against Parma over the weekend, the Nerazzurri now return home to host miserable Brescia in what should be a win for the hosts. Match tonight Wednesday at 1930 CET.
With countless years lost due to the edge-of-seat nervy performances against Sassuolo and Parma, Interisti worldwide will be praying for a simple win against visiting minnows Brescia. Inter seem to be hapless without Marcelo Brozovic directing play from the middle of the pitch, and as the Croatian nears recovery, his presence on the pitch, even if off the bench will be a site for sore Nerazzurri eyes.
As the league matches pile on thick and fast, Antonio Conte’s squad management with will be put to the test. Conte tried wholesale changes to the side when lining up against Sassuolo but in retrospect, his eagerness to rotate was too much for the side to handle. It will seem prudent that Conte proceeds with a tempered approach when looking to the squad players for reinforcements.
Some commentators have wondered whether this will be right match to finally rest Romelu Lukaku who has featured in all league matches this season. With Lautaro Martinez’s move to Barcelona seemingly all but collapsed, hopefully the young Argentinean can find his early season form and spark to finally put in a ninety minute performance worthy of his potential.
Brescia are all but relegated. Inter’s Lombardian neighbors sit a massive eight points below the drop zone and have seemingly sealed their fate. With Mario Balotelli conspiring to self sabotage another season, Brescia’s only remaining bright spark of potential is Inter target Sandro Tonali, but the Italian midfield starlet’s qualities are just not enough to carry his entire side to safety.
Brescia have not won a match since last December, and with the league’s third leakiest defensive line, it seems unlikely that they will trouble Inter the way Sassuolo and Parma did. That said, Inter would be wise not to underestimate their visitors, at this delicate stage in the season any lost points would be a big blow for any end of season ambitions.
Team News
Much has been made of Inter’s lethargic and single dimensional performance against Parma on Sunday. However, as Marcelo Brozovic finally recovers from his injury, it will be interesting to see if his dictating of the midfield pace will improve the overall team performance. Stefano Sensi strangely seems to prolong his predicted layoff with every passing day, while Matias Vecino appears to be on the cusp of recovery. In terms of suspensions, Milan Skriniar will serve the second of his three match suspension, thus making way from Diego Godin to replace him on the right side of defense.
Probable line-up (3-4-1-2): Handanovic (C); Bastoni, de Vrij, Godin; Young, Barella, Valero, Candreva; Eriksen; Lautaro, Sanchez.
Stats
Last Season: Not played, Brescia in Serie B.
Last 10 Head to Head: Seeing that prior to this season, Brescia’s last presence in Italy’s top-flight was just under a decade ago, it’s difficult to read too much into both sides’ head to head record. That said, Inter have an overwhelming lead over the visitors with six wins for the hosts and a solitary win for the guests.
Keep an Eye on
Christian Eriksen: The Danish trequartista was the subject of much debate once again after a near-anonymous showing against Parma. With Brozovic back in the side and possibly Sanchez and Lautaro up front, the type of setup and match might be more suited to Eriksen’s preferred style of play. Hopefully for all of us, Eriksen can put it a top class showing, silencing critics for the rest of the season.
Officials
Referee: Gianluca Manganiello.
Assistants: Santoro and Baccini.
Fourth Official: Abbattista.
VAR: Mazzoleni and Di Lorio
Prediction & Concluding Remarks
Prediction & scorers: Inter 3-0 Brescia. Lautaro brace and a Sanchez third for the hosts.
Concluding remarks: This is the match where Conte needs to capitalize on the goodwill gained from the hard-fought Parma comeback. Inter should dominate this match from start to finish and finally keep a clean sheet.
