Inter Milanvs.Cagliari

Inter put one foot in the Champions League semi-finals earlier this week, keeping them on course for a memorable treble; meanwhile, their humble visitors are simply fighting for survival.

Match preview

Reprising a famous contest in the 2010 final, European heavyweights Inter and Bayern Munich met in Bavaria on Tuesday night, with the Italian club claiming an advantage after the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Inflicting Bayern's first home loss in the Champions League for four years, Simone Inzaghi's side were almost denied victory by Thomas Muller's late leveller - which cancelled out a sublime first-half strike by Lautaro Martinez - but there was a last-gasp twist, as Davide Frattesi restored Inter's lead ahead of next week's return leg.

Before reconvening with the Bundesliga leaders in Milan, the Nerazzurri must switch focus back to the Scudetto race, as they aim to keep their sole challengers at arm's length.

Inter have conceded just three goals throughout their whole continental campaign, but they uncharacteristically let a two-goal lead slip against Parma last weekend and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Nonetheless, Napoli's subsequent stalemate with Bologna leaves Inzaghi's men three points clear at the top with just seven games to go.

The first takes place at San Siro, where Inter have scored in 37 consecutive Serie A home games over the past two years - the second-best run throughout the club's long history - and won 11 out of 15 so far this season.

Furthermore, they have lost just one of their last 14 top-flight clashes with Cagliari, including December's 3-0 success in Sardinia.

Down the years, Cagliari have certainly struggled to keep Inter in check, shipping more league goals to the Milan giants than any other opponents (152 in 87 matches) - they have also conceded at least once in the clubs' last 25 meetings at San Siro.

On this occasion, the Sardinian side trail their hosts by 38 points in the standings, down from 52 at this time last year, when the pair played out a 2-2 draw.

While the Nerazzurri are still seeking a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble, Cagliari only have seven games left to secure their place in Italy's top tier for a third straight season.

Last week, the Rossoblu's boss Davide Nicola - a renowned survival specialist, who saved Empoli's skin last season - returned to Tuscany aiming to guide his current club further away from danger. Though they could only play out a 0-0 draw with their fellow strugglers at Stadio Castellani, Cagliari now sit six points above the drop zone.

However, Nicola's men have won just one of their last 13 away fixtures - none since beating rock-bottom Monza in January - and they remain particularly vulnerable when defending set-piece situations.

Having conceded the most dead-ball goals (17) in Serie A so far, they now visit hosts with a league-high 20 strikes from set pieces - not an ideal recipe for success.

Inter Milan Serie A form:

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D

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Inter Milan form (all competitions):

W

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Cagliari Serie A form:

L

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Team News

Between two legs of a vital European tie, Simone Inzaghi is set to rotate his weary - and ageing - squad on Saturday. With several stars in need of a rest, and many dealing with fitness issues, Inter's starting XI could be overhauled.

Both first-choice wing-backs have been sidelined of late, but Federico Dimarco is now available, leaving only Denzel Dumfries alongside back-up midfielder Piotr Zielinski in the treatment room.

Medhi Taremi is still struggling with a persistent groin issue, but Kristjan Asllani could play some part after serving a UEFA suspension in midweek.

If selected, Lautaro Martinez will aim to continue his hot streak against Cagliari. 'El Toro' has registered 11 goal involvements in 10 top-flight meetings with the side from Sardinia; meanwhile, Marcus Thuram found the net against Parma after a nine-game drought and could now score in consecutive league games for the first time this year.

By contrast with their hosts, Cagliari's squad is essentially at full strength. Davide Nicola should therefore stick by most of the XI that came up just short in Empoli, with top scorer Roberto Piccoli again spearheading a 3-4-2-1 formation.

There is plenty of competition for places just behind him, as Nicolas Viola, Zito Luvumbo, Florinel Coman, Mattia Felici and Gianluca Gaetano are all vying for selection in the final third.

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bisseck; Zalewski, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Arnautovic, Thuram

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Caprile; Palomino, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Adopo, Prati, Augello; Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli

We say: Inter Milan 2-0 Cagliari

Cagliari may have kept a clean sheet in their last two league games - as many times as throughout the previous 28 - but even a makeshift Inter team should have too much firepower for them to handle.

Written by

Jonathan O'Shea

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