Following their crucial Derby d’Italia triumph last weekend, Inter Milan aim to continue their defence of the Scudetto with another win over Hellas Verona on Saturday evening.
Having enjoyed historical dominance over the Veneto outfit, the Nerazzurri will be faced by one of Serie A’s most improved sides, who consolidated their top-half place with Monday’s win over Genoa.
Belatedly claiming their first away win of 2022, Inter finally tasted Serie A success outside of Milan in perhaps their most important game of the season so far, as they edged out Juventus 1-0 last Sunday.
In the process surely eliminating Juve from the title race, Hakan Calhanoglu’s re-taken penalty in first half stoppage-time ultimately proved the difference between the two bitter foes, and the Nerazzurri now lead their Bianconero counterparts by four points in the standings with a game still in hand.
Victory in Turin sees Simone Inzaghi’s side seeking their first back-to-back league wins since the turn of the year, as since January – when they enjoyed an 11-point lead over Juventus and topped the table – an exit from the Champions League has accompanied a run of only 11 points from 10 Serie A matches.
As a result of such a slump, the champions have 11 fewer points than from their first 30 games played in Serie A last season, yet they still remain in the mix for Scudetto glory – starting the weekend just four behind city rivals Milan, with an extra fixture to play as their trump card.
The visit of Verona should hold few fears either, based solely on precedent, as following a 3-1 win at Stadio Bentegodi earlier this season, Saturday’s opponents are the team Inter have faced the most without ever tasting defeat since the turn of the century.
Unbeaten against them in 21 games – featuring 17 wins and four draws – the last time they lost against the Scaligeri came over 30 years ago: back in February 1992.
Not only have Verona been subjugated throughout their many meetings with Inter in recent history, they have never won at all in 30 Serie A away matches against the Nerazzurri.
With a record of 11 draws and 19 defeats, the Gialloblu have failed to even score in 22 of the clubs’ encounters in Milan, so the weight of history is certainly against them this weekend.
After their 1-0 win against Genoa on Monday, though, Hellas have secured their grip on ninth spot in the standings with seven games left to play and are only seven points adrift of the European qualification places.
Leading scorer Giovanni Simeone provided the decisive strike early on at the Bentegodi, in a game of few chances for either side; sealing a 12th league victory of the season.
That will have come as a relief to coach Igor Tudor, who saw his side pick up just two points from their previous three matches, and with the Scaligeri now having lost only one of their last seven in the league, they can travel to San Siro in hope of causing an upset.
Inter Milan Serie A form:
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Inter Milan form (all competitions):
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Hellas Verona Serie A form:
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We say: Inter Milan 2-1 Hellas Verona
This encounter will see the team that has recovered the most points from losing positions in Serie A this season – Inter, with 19 – face opponents who have lost the most when leading: Verona having spilled a total of 22.
So, even if the visitors are to take the lead on Saturday – which is unlikely in itself, given the champions have conceded just twice in seven games – they can expect to be under the cosh, in the first match with San Siro at full capacity for over two years.