Defending Serie A champions Inter Milan will look to continue their title defense this weekend as they travel to take on Hellas Verona. Inter currently find themselves among six teams within just two points of the league summit, while Verona find themselves struggling near the relegation zone, having lost four of their last five matches.
Match Preview: Form and Stats
Recent Performance of Inter Milan
Inter Milan heads into this clash with mixed feelings from their last Serie A game. It was a 1-1 draw against Napoli, in which a stunning free-kick goal from Hakan Calhanoglu balanced the score, while a missed penalty-the first in 19 attempts since 2016-cost Inter two precious points.
The draw snapped a three-match winning streak that included victories over Empoli, Venezia, and even Arsenal, all with clean sheets. In Champions League play, they remain competitive, as they sit just two points from the top of their group.
Simone Inzaghi’s side is chasing history as well. With two more away wins, Inter could equal their club record for the most Serie A victories in a calendar year (13). Additionally, they have consistently found the back of the net in their last 13 visits to Verona’s Stadio Bentegodi.
Hellas Verona’s Struggles
On the other hand, Verona have been through a rugged patch, having lost to Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta, and Monza over recent weeks. A 3-2 win over Roma provided brief respite, but their defense remains the main weakness. Averaging 2.25 goals conceded per game – the worst record in the league – Paolo Zanetti’s men will find it tough against the attacking potent of Inter.
While Verona have managed three of their four wins at home this season, their historical record against Inter is poor. The Gialloblu have only won four of their 40 Serie A meetings with the Nerazzurri and have gone 26 games without a win against them.
Team News:
Hellas Verona
Injuries: Ondrej Duda, Pawel Dawidowicz, Juan Cruz, and Martin Frese remain out of action.
Returns: Dailon Livramento is back after suspension.
Star Player: Casper Tengstedt, loaned from Benfica, has netted four times this season despite limited playing time.
Predicted Line-up:
Montipo; Tchatchoua, Coppola, Magnani, Bradaric; Belahyane, Serdar; Suslov, Kastanos, Lazovic; Tengstedt
Inter Milan
Injuries: Hakan Calhanoglu is ruled out because of a muscular injury during international duty. Davide Frattesi or Kristjan Asllani can replace him.
Returns: Carlos Augusto is back after being hurt for several weeks.
Key Player: Lautaro Martinez boasts an excellent record against Verona, netting six times in eight games, but could be rested after some exhaustive international service duty.
Predicted Lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Match Prediction: Hellas Verona 0-2 Inter Milan
Given the contrasting form and Inter Milan’s historical dominance, one should only expect an Inter Milan comfortable win. The Verona defense, which always looks fragile, can hardly stand up to Inter’s attacking artillery, while the champions are eager to close the gap to league leaders Napoli.
Considering Inter’s consistency at the Stadio Bentegodi and poor defensive displays by Verona, a clean sheet and an emphatic win for the visitors is very likely.
