Inter Milan will be looking to extend their lead at the top when they travel to Genoa in the Serie A. After defeating Lecce shortly before Christmas, Inter is now four points ahead of Juventus. Their hosts moved one step closer to safety by defeating Sassuolo.
Preview (Genoa vs. Inter Milan)
Although ‘Campioni d’Inverno’ does not come with any hardware, the winners at the halfway stage of most Serie A seasons typically go on to win the Scudetto a few months later. As such, Inter will try to increase the pressure on their rivals by winning the league for the fifth time. The Nerazzurri have won all four of their previous top-flight games without giving up a goal. They have triumphed over Napoli, Udinese, Lazio, and most recently, Lecce.
A few days after their dramatic elimination from the Coppa Italia, which they had dominated for two years, due to an extra-time meltdown against Bologna, Inter recovered in Serie A, defeating Lecce at San Siro with goals from Yann Bisseck and Nicolo Barella either side of the half. Coach Simone Inzaghi achieved a significant milestone when his team scored in 25 straight Serie A games. No other Milan manager had accomplished this feat. Inter’s defensive record, nevertheless, may be even more remarkable this season. No team in the top five leagues in Europe has given up fewer goals (seven).
They will now play their penultimate game of the year at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. They haven’t allowed a goal against Genoa since 2018. In their last four visits, the Nerazzurri have won three times, tied once, and scored nine goals. Even though Genoa will likely face their hardest test since making a comeback to the major leagues earlier this year when the Serie A leaders arrive, Alberto Gilardino’s team is displaying hints that they can handle life at the top. Gilardino’s brief stint at the beginning of the season was to keep his team out of Serie B. After 17 games played and 19 points earned, the former Milan striker’s team is expected to make it.
Team News
Lautaro Martinez, the top scorer in Serie A with 15 goals, will be sidelined for Inter once more on Friday night due to a strained muscle that will prevent him from playing until next week. Marko Arnautovic will probably replace Marcus Thuram up front. Matteo Darmian will continue to cover for Denzel Dumfries at wing-back on the visiting team’s right side. Due to injury, Dumfries hopes to return to the bench. However, fellow widemen Juan Cuadrado (Achilles) and Federico Dimarco (adductor) are still out. Whether Benjamin Pavard will push his way back into the side at Yann Bisseck’s expense is still to be seen.
With Inter’s star player out with an injury, Genoa will once more rely on top scorer Albert Gudmundsson, who has seven goals in the league so far, to provide upfront assistance for Ghanaian striker Caleb Ekuban. Junior Messias, a Milan loanee, and Mateo Retegui (thigh) are likely out, which limits Alberto Gilardino’s attacking options, but he should still have a full roster to pick from: After being sidelined, Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman has made a comeback to the game.
Genoa 1-2 Inter Milan
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