Inter Milan will travel to the Stadio Artemio Franchi to face off against Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday evening.
The Nerazzurri have been enjoying a stellar campaign this term, sitting second in the league with 51 points from 20 games. They are currently only one point behind Juventus with a game in hand.
Simone Inzaghi’s side will be coming into this game after winning the Suppercoppa Italiana, thrashing Napoli 3-0 in the final. So, they will be full of confidence ahead of this crucial league encounter.
On the other hand, Fiorentina have started the season promisingly, sitting fourth in the table with 34 points from 20 games. They are currently only one point ahead of Atalanta so they need to earn a positive result from this game to keep hold of their place in the top-four position.
However, Inter are unbeaten on the road this season, dropping only four points. They are currently the best team away from home in Serie A this term so Fiorentina would find it difficult to come away with a positive result from this encounter.
Previous meetings
Inter have been the dominant force against Fiorentina over the last few years as La Viola have won only one game against their Sunday’s opponent since 2017 in all competitions.
Inter thrashed Vincenzo Italiano’s side 4-0 in the reverse fixture at the Giuseppe Meazza. So, the visitors will be hoping to continue their impressive record versus Fiorentina this weekend.
How to watch
The match will kick off at 7:45pm UK time and the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
Thousands of fans will also get the opportunity to watch the game in person at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday night. Inter Milan tickets can be purchased through the official club channels or via trusted online resellers.
Team news
Fiorentina have several injury problems ahead of this fixture as Dodo, Gaetano Castrovilli and Nicolas Gonzalez are all set to remain sidelined due to their respective problems. Christian Kouame is also unavailable for selection as he is currently out with his national team, Ivory Coast, to play at the AFCON.
As for Inter, they don’t have many injury absentees at the moment but Juan Cuadrado isn’t in contention to feature against Fiorentina due to his Achilles injury. In addition, Alessandro Bastoni is in doubt ahead of this encounter owing to an issue but he could be fit enough to start.
However, the bad news for Inter is that Hakan Calhanoglu isn’t available for selection in this encounter as he is suspended having picked up the fifth booking of this campaign against Monza.
Predicted line-up
Italiano likes to use his preferred 4-3-3 system and it’s unlikely to be anything different in this fixture. Pietro Terracciano should be in goal for Fiorentina, while Nikola Milenkovic and Lucas Martinez Quarta might be the centre-back pairing.
Michael Kayode should be in the right-back position and Cristiano Biraghi could be on the opposite side. Arthur Melo and Alfred Duncan are likely to be in the midfield pivot position, pushing Giacomo Bonaventura into the attacking midfield position.
Jonathan Ikone should be in the right flank, while Riccardo Sottil might be in the left-wing position. Lucas Beltran is expected to lead the line for La Viola in this fixture.
Expected Fiorentina line-up against Inter Milan
Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Arthur, Duncan, Bonaventura; Ikone, Beltran, Sottil
For Inter, Inzaghi usually deploys his preferred 3-5-2 formation and it’s set to remain the same on Sunday. Yann Sommer is expected to be in goal for the visitors and in front of the Swiss, Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi and Bastoni should be the back three. If Bastoni can’t start then Stefan de Vrij could come in.
Denzel Dumfries could commence in the right-wing-back position, while Federico Dimarco could be on the opposite side. Kristjan Asllani is likely to be in the deep-lying playmaker role amid Calhanoglu’s absence with Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan expected to be in the box-to-box position.
Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram are set to commence in the centre-forward position for Inter in this crucial fixture.
Expected Inter Milan line-up vs Fiorentina
Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Mkhitaryan, Asllani, Barella, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Key players
Bonaventura is the highest scorer for Fiorentina in Serie A this term and La Viola’s fans will be hoping that the former AC Milan star will be able to help his side win this game by adding to his tally.
Beltran hasn’t been able to showcase his best in Serie A this term having moved to the Stadio Artemio Franchi last summer. But, the 22-year-old is the centre-forward for the hosts and he will have to perform at his best in this fixture to guide his team to victory.
Fiorentina’s back four and goalkeeper need to be on top of their game to repel opposition attacks and keep a clean-sheet in order to help Fiorentina come away with a positive result from this encounter.
As for Inter, Martinez has been enjoying a stellar campaign this term, scoring 18 goals and registering two assists in 18 Serie A appearances. Fiorentina found it difficult to handle the Argentinian in the reverse fixture at Giuseppe Meazza – where Martinez guided his team to victory by scoring a brace. So, Inter will be hoping that the striker will be able to replicate a similar display this Sunday.
New summer signing Thuram has also enjoyed a promising debut campaign for Inter this term, scoring eight goals and registering seven assists in 20 league appearances.
The Frenchman has linked-up well with Martínez so far this season and the Nerazzurri fans will be hoping to experience yet another impressive performance from the former Borussia Monchengladbach star this weekend.
Inter’s wing-backs play a key role in stretching the opposite backline to create gaps. They are also attacking options for Inzaghi so Dumfries and Dimarco will need to display their best against Fiorentina to guide the Nerazzurri to victory.
Prediction
Inter have been playing dominating football this season, scoring 49 goals in 20 league games and conceding only 10. Inzaghi’s side are currently unbeaten away from home in all competitions so, they will be coming into this game as heavy favourites.
However, Fiorentina are more than capable of putting the visitors under pressure, especially given the game is at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. So, La Viola will be hoping to come away with a positive result from this fixture by taking the home advantage.
But, Inter have been in stellar form and they have the quality in their squad to come away with all three points from this game. So, it is likely that the Nerazzurri will win this encounter on Sunday. However, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds. Fiorentina 1-3 Inter Milan
