Defending Serie A champions Inter Milan welcome Europa League winners Atalanta to the Giuseppe Meazza this Friday for an epic showdown that could shape the title race early on.
Inter started their title defence with a sloppy 2-2 draw away at Genoa. The hosts took the lead, but a Marcus Thuram double had put Inter in front.
They looked to be on their way to victory before former AC Milan winger Junior Messias speared in a later equaliser.
The Nerazzurri bounced back with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Lecce that took them up the league table to second.
Meanwhile, over in Bergamo, Gian Piero Gasperini’s charges opened the curtains with a thumping 4-0 victory over Lecce, who look to be the whipping boys of Serie A.
New signings Marco Brescianini and Mateo Retegui ran riot at the Stadio Via del mare, bagging a brace each.
However, they suffered their first defeat of the new campaign against Paolo Vanoli’s Torino.
Retegui continued his fine form with a bullet header to open the scoring on 26, but former Southampton striker Che Adams set Ivan Ilic through on goal to equalise just five minutes later.
Adams bagged the winner in the 50th minute, leaving La Dea to rue their missed chances, including a stoppage-time penalty that Mario Pasalic squandered.
Inter and Atalanta will battle for supremacy this weekend, the champions looking to keep pace with on-fire Juventus and the visitors eyeing a climb into the top four, where they aim to finish.
The importance of the match means Inter Milan vs Atalanta tickets will likely be pricey, so Seatsnet.com remains the best marketplace to secure tickets at competitive prices.
Inter Milan vs Atalanta: Head-to-Head
Even though Inter have not been the force they were last season in their opening two games, they will look to fire up their campaign with a win against the Bergamo outfit.
The 20-time Scudetto winners have had the upper hand in their recent clashes, winning their most recent five meetings in all competitions.
You’d have to go back to as far back as 2018 for the last time Atalanta defeated Inter in a match. In their 12 meetings since that game, the Nerazzurri have won seven times (D5).
Atalanta have not won at the San Siro since 2014 when Calcio cult hero Giacomo Bonaventura netted a brace to give La Dea an unforgettable victory over a Mauro Icardi-led Inter.
The loss to Torino was a fourth away defeat in their last five trips, and things don’t get any easier as they prepare for a daunting visit to one of Serie A’s most heralded grounds. The signs are ominous for La Dea.
Inter Milan vs Atalanta Preview
Inter put a second star on their badge with their Scudetto win last term and remain favourites to retain the crown despite the dramatic summer they have had.
At the end of last season, US investment fund Oaktree Capital Management took ownership of the club after Chinese conglomerate Suning failed to pay a €395 million debt.
They were wise enough to place Beppe Marotta in charge of the club, and Inter continue to navigate the market despite practically empty coffers.
Their only signing involving money was the acquisition of goalkeeper Josep Martinez.
They were forced (by contract obligations from last season) to sign Davide Frattesi, Carlos Augusto, and Marko Arnautovic this summer while picking up Piotr Zielinski and Mehdi Taremi on free transfers.
However, their best move was tying head coach Simone Inzaghi to a new contract.
The Italian knows how to extract every ounce of talent from his squad, and Inter need that quality as they continue into this austerity period.
After a relatively slow start, Inter can truly kick-start their campaign with a win over Atalanta in Milan.
On the other hand, Atalanta know the odds are stacked against them, but that has never stopped La Dea from putting up a fight.
The eternal underdogs will be desperate to snap their poor run of losses to the champions.
Atalanta find themselves having to evolve again following their Europa League victory.
What should have been a turning point to attract more stars has turned into the players on their books feeling like they have run their course, angling for big-money moves.
Teun Koopmeiners seems hell-bent on a move to Juventus, and the Turin side could get their hands on their man soon after sending in another bid for the Dutchman.
Hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman has not trained with the first team as he looks to engineer a move.
Paris Saint-Germain showed fleeting interest, and Saudi Pro League clubs probed his availability, but something has yet to materialise.
The Nigerian international has tucked his tail between his legs and is set to return to the first team for the season.
Goalkeeper Juan Musso has also left for Atletico Madrid, further depleting the squad.
The transfer team has filled the void with Retegui, Raoul Bellanova, Ben Godfrey, Ibrahim Sulemana, Nicolo Zaniolo, Brescianini, Juan Cuadrado, Rui Patrício, and Lazar Samardzic. But how quickly will they adapt?
Gasperini will need to galvanise this new team into a proper squad and also tweak his style of football, which most Serie A teams are coming to grips with.
Atalanta must play out of their skin to get a result against Inter, but as they have shown on numerous occasions, they can always prove the doubters and naysayers wrong.
Team News
Inter will be without their talisman and captain, Lautaro Martinez, unsurprisingly suffering the ills of an unnecessarily extended 2023/24 campaign.
Martinez played 44 matches for Inter last term and still had to represent Argentina at the Copa America. He is not fit for the start of the season.
Following a tame performance in the curtain raiser against Genoa, he was not in the squad for the Lecce win and will miss this clash.
Canadian wing-back Tajon Buchanan is also doubtful for the game with a broken tibia.
Atalanta will be without stalwart Rafael Toloi, former Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac, and Mitchel Bakker.
Also, striker Gianluca Scamacca is out with a long-term injury but has been replaced by the free-scoring Retegui, who sits atop the Serie A top scorer chart.
Wonderkid Giorgio Scalvini is another star with a long-term problem, which will hurt the young Italian international poised for a breakout campaign.
Inter Milan potential starting line-up:
(3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Mehdi Taremi.
Atalanta potential starting line-up:
(3-4-3): Marco Carnesecchi; Berat Djimsiti, Marten de Roon, Isak Hien; Davide Zappacosta, Ederson, Mario Pasalic, Matteo Ruggeri; Marco Brescianini, Charles De Ketelaere, Matteo Retegui.
