Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Inter Milan vs. Atalanta BC - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 February 2024, 23:58
Seeking to extend their nine-point lead at the Serie A summit, title hopefuls Inter Milan welcome Champions League-chasing Atalanta BC to San Siro on Wednesday night.

The two teams meet for the first time since November last year when goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez secured a 2-1 away victory for the Nerazzurri.

Match preview

Inter Milan have preserved their perfect record in 2024 after they emphatically put Lecce to the sword 4-0 away from home on Sunday to put themselves in the driving seat for a second Scudetto in four seasons.

Star striker Martinez scored his 24th and 25th goals of the campaign in all competitions, while Davide Frattesi and Stefan de Vrij were also on the scoresheet against Lecce to help the Nerazzurri claim their 10th consecutive victory since the turn of the year.

Not only have Simone Inzaghi's men lost just one of their 25 Serie A matches this season, they have also scored the most (61) and conceded the fewest (12) goals in the division, and another success on Wednesday would see them move 12 points clear of second-placed Juventus with 13 games left to play.

Inter will endeavour to win a seventh successive Serie A game at the start of a calendar year for the first time in their history when they lock horns with Atalanta, whom they have had plenty of joy against in recent seasons.

Indeed, the Nerazzurri have come out on top in each of their last four meetings with Atalanta in all tournaments, while they have not lost any of their previous 10 top-flight encounters with La Dea - their longest-ever unbeaten run against the Bergamo-based outfit.

Atalanta cannot be completely written off on Wednesday, though, as they also boast a 10-game unbeaten run in 2024 across all competitions, accumulating 17 points from seven Serie A fixtures in the process.

La Dea are gearing up for their second trip to San Siro in the space of just three days after playing out a 1-1 draw with AC Milan last weekend; Teun Koopmeiners salvaged a point when he scored a controversially-given penalty kick on the stroke of half time to cancel out an early opener from Rafael Leao.

After finishing fifth in Serie A last season, Gian Piero Gasperini's side find themselves in the same position after 25 games this term, although they are only two points behind surprise packages Bologna in fourth spot.

While Atalanta boast the joint second-best home record in Serie A this season, their form away from home has not been so consistent as they have won four, drawn three and lost five of their 12 top-flight matches on the road, winning just one of their last six in the process.

La Dea have also struggled to grind out positive results away against Inter, as they have failed to win any of their last nine league meetings with the Nerazzurri at San Siro since claiming back-to-back victories in April 2013 (3-4) and March 2014 (1-2).

Inter Milan Serie A form:

W

W

W

W

W

W

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Team News

Inter Milan quartet Marcus Thuram, Juan Cuadrado (both Achilles), Francesco Acerbi (muscle) and Stefano Sensi (ankle) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Yann Sommer is doubtful with a virus that forced him to miss last weekend's win at Lecce.

Emil Audero will once again deputise between the sticks if Sommer is not passed fit to play, while Inzaghi will ponder whether to continue with Yann Aurel Bisseck and Carlos Augusto in the back three with De Vrij, or recall both Benjamin Pavard and Alessandro Bastoni.

Nicolo Barella will be pushing to return in centre-midfield at the expense of Kristjan Asllani, while Alexis Sanchez could get the nod over Marko Arnautovic to start alongside Martinez up front.

As for Atalanta, they have clean bill of health heading into Wednesday's fixture, with Ademola Lookman the most recent first-team player to make his return after a spell out with an ankle issue.

Lookman came on at half time against Milan last time out, but he could be recalled to the first XI at the expense of Aleksei Miranchuk to join Charles De Ketelaere up front.

Gasperini is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, but one alteration that may be considered is the return of Davide Zappacosta at right wing-back for Emil Holm.

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Audero; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Frattesi, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Sanchez, Martinez

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; Lookman, De Ketelaere

We say: Inter Milan 3-1 Atalanta BC

An entertaining end-to-end contest is to be expected on Wednesday as an average of 3.4 goals have been scored across the last five Serie A meetings between these two in-form teams.

Confidence is flowing among both camps, but it is difficult to look beyond a home victory for a rampant title-chasing Inter outfit, who boast an impressive head-to-head record over their Bergamo-based counterparts.

Previews by email

Top News

13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Just over 24 hours after taking over as Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim has reportedly already been handed his first injury blow. 13 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Iraq will welcome Jordan to the Basra International Stadium for Thursday's meeting in the Asian section of 2026 World Cup qualifying. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The action resumes in Group L of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as Burundi and Malawi go head to head at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Thursday. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted his target of reaching 1,000 career goals may be beyond him, as his career begins to wind down, raising questions about whether he could retire in the near future. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Insiders from Premier League clubs have reportedly blamed Thomas Tuchel and the FA for the huge spike in injury withdrawals from the upcoming England squad this month. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liechtenstein will travel to the Ta' Qali National Stadium on Thursday to take on Malta in an international friendly. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lionel Messi is set to captain Argentina when they travel to Asuncion to face Paraguay in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying on Thursday night. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Journalist and Arsenal expert Charles Watts cannot see a way back for Premier League referee David Coote if the alleged unverified video of him making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp is genuine. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala has dropped a hint about his future at the club, with contract talks said to be ongoing between the two parties. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United's new manager Ruben Amorim has reportedly been handed an early transfer blow, with Bayern Munich stating that Leroy Sane is not for sale this January. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly shortlisted West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus with the view of signing the player next summer. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, Manchester City enter November's international break in the 2024-25 campaign sitting five points adrift of early leaders Liverpool after 11 matches played. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they have entered the international break on the back of losing four games in a row across all competitions for the first time since 2006 and for the first time ever under manager Pep Guardiola. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are not expected to respond to the emergence of an apparently damning video of Premier League referee David Coote in which the official made insulting and derisive comments regarding former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp until the PGMOL complete their investigation into the incident. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni will have goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez available for selection again when they face Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Thursday. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who is also attracting interest from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly interested in AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan as a replacement for Ederson. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Villarreal head coach Marcelino has attempted to play down speculation linking the club with Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Goncalo Guedes. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides at opposite ends of the AFC FIFA World Cup qualifying Group B table come together on Thursday afternoon when Kuwait host group-leaders South Korea. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nigeria will hope to secure their spot in the 2025 African Cup of Nations when they face Benin at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Thursday. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brazil will be without Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Eder Militao for their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier away in Venezuela on Thursday after both suffered first-half injuries in the win over Osasuna on Saturday. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to enter the market for a new centre-back during the January transfer window. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After a promising set of results in October, Brazil return to action in World Cup qualifying when they travel to Maturin to face Venezuela on Thursday. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to close the gap on the top two places in Group A, Qatar will host second-placed Usbekistan at the Khalifa International Stadium for an AFC World Cup qualifying clash on Thursday afternoon. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal dropped two points rather than gaining one in their 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but there were signs of the "old" Gunners team in West London. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have been punished for failing to adequately replace their most "important player" Martin Odegaard when the Norwegian was out with an ankle injury, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After making a fine start to their latest UEFA Nations League campaign, just one more point would ensure Italy qualify for the quarter-finals on Thursday, when they visit Belgium in Brussels. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Belgium's task will be perfectly clear on Thursday evening, as they must win to stay in contention for the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals when welcoming Italy to Brussels. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly identified a Benfica defender as a potential transfer target for 2025. 12 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both aiming to return to winning ways following difficult matches during the October international window, Armenia and the Faroe Islands will lock horns in Yerevan for a UEFA Nations League C clash on Thursday night.