Inter travel to South of Italy to face Pippo Inzaghi’s Benevento looking to gather up some momentum to keep the start of the season positive. Match today, Wednesday, at 18:00 CET.
It’s never easy traveling to the South no matter the opponent, and this is particularly the case when facing a high-flying newly promoted Benevento.
The Serie B champions had an all time record breaking season last year on their way to promotion. The witches have reinforced intelligently over the short summer and are looking like a genuine top flight side.
Having surprisingly beaten Sampdoria in their season opener, Benevento will be looking for a similar upset against league challengers and visitors Inter.
Antonio Conte will be well aware that complacency is a real concern when coming up this type of match, particularly when followed closely by a “big” match as is the case here.
It is difficult to predict what changes Conte will make with regards to starting selection, particularly so early in the season and with the matches coming in thick and fast. What is practically a certainty is Stefan DiVrij’s return to the starting line-up after serving a one-match suspension.
It is also possible to see Achraf Hakimi starting the match on the right flank, giving Ashley Young the chance to return to his more familiar position on the left flank.
Inter will need to attack this match from the get go, score quickly and score plenty, in an effort to see of the match early and preserve energy for the match against Lazio.
Naturally, De Vrij’s return will bring back some certainty and calmness to the defense, however, as Conte said after the Fiorentina match, the defensive lapses which led to three conceded goals were due to a team failure in transition rather than an individual defensive error.
Inter will need to manage this match effectively, ruthlessly and maturely to continue building positive momentum.
Team News
Conte flies to the South with no injury or disciplinary concerns to worry about, save for Radja Nainggolan’s ruse of a throat infection.
Probable Line-up (3-4-1-2): Handanovic (C); D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Bastoni; Hakimi, Barella, Vidal, Young; Eriksen; Lautaro, Lukaku
Stats
Last Season: Not played, Benevento in Serie B.
Last 10 Head to Head: Inter have only met Benevento twice in the league and have come out winners both times, albeit neither match was a runaway for the Nerazzurri.
Keep an Eye on:
Achraf Hakimi: Inter’s marquee signing of the summer featured for over 25 minutes against Fiorentina and looked extremely lively and direct.
Expect him to feature for an even longer stretch against Benevento where the Moroccan will hopefully be able to showcase his talent and impact even more.
Officials
Referee: Marco Piccinini.
Assistants: Mondin and Mastrodonato.
Fourth Official: Marinelli.
VAR: Nasca and De Meo.
Prediction & Concluding Remarks
Prediction & scorers: Benevento 0 – 3 Inter Lukaku brace and a Lautaro goal to win it for the visitors.
Concluding remarks: Expect a much more defensively composed performance than the one against Fiorentina, with the LuLa duo combining ruthlessly to dispatch the top flight newcomers.