Serie A Preview: Inter vs Monza – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Saturday’s Serie A action concludes at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Inter and Monza go head-to-head in a ‘David vs Goliath’ clash. It’s worth noting that 44 points separate the table-topping hosts from the rock-bottom visitors, highlighting the substantial gulf in quality between the two teams.

Inter received the ultimate confidence booster ahead of this meeting as goals from Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez on either side of halftime saw them beat Feyenoord 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. El Toro made history at De Kuip, becoming Inter’s all-time top goalscorer in Europe’s most prestigious competition.

Martinez’s 18th goal in the Champions League helped Inter set one foot in the quarter-finals and recover from last weekend’s gut-wrenching 1-1 draw at Napoli. Federico Dimarco’s outstanding free-kick fired the Nerazzurri in front midway through the first half. However, Philip Billing scored off the bench in the 87th minute to rescue a point for Napoli.

Simone Inzaghi’s charges finished the second half without a shot on goal and will aim to atone for that apathetic performance against Serie A’s basement boys. Monza reappointed Alessandro Nesta after interim boss Salvatore Bocchetti failed to inspire a form resurgence, with the visitors languishing nine points below safety pre-round.

A 2-0 defeat at Torino last weekend marked Monza’s 12th loss in 14 league matches (W1, D1), heightening the pressure on Nesta to get a result against familiar foes. The Milan legend returns to his old stomping ground in a last-ditch attempt to rescue Monza’s season, but he’ll need to outperform the odds to achieve that dream.

Match Previews

Inter

Despite making it four consecutive matches without losing in Rotterdam (W3, D1), Inter can’t afford to rest on their laurels. Two winless outings from their last three in Serie A (D1, L1) can’t inspire confidence as the hosts head into proceedings only one point clear of second-placed Napoli.

However, this is no longer a two-team race. Juventus’ renaissance has seen the fourth-placed Bianconeri reduce the gap to six points, while third-placed Atalanta sit only three points adrift of Inter. Therefore, Inzaghi’s team will be out to avenge a dismal 1-1 draw in September’s reverse fixture and make it back-to-back home wins against Monza.

Inter have gone from strength to strength at Giuseppe Meazza since a 2-1 derby loss to Milan in mid-September. They’re unbeaten in their last ten Serie A home matches (W7, D3) and could win four in a row for the first time this season. But one-goal margin victories against Fiorentina and Genoa in the build-up to this clash suggest it won’t be plain sailing.

Monza

These are not pleasant times for the Biancorossi faithful. Nesta’s men have lost their last seven competitive matches on the road by an aggregate score of 22-4, most recently succumbing to a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Roma in Serie A. They previously lost 5-1 at Lazio, underscoring their immense struggles against the division’s top clubs.

Breaking the deadlock would be a step in the right direction, but it wouldn’t guarantee success. Indeed, Monza have developed a habit of dropping points from winning positions, claiming just two victories from six league matches when opening the scoring this season (W2, D2, L2), which was also the problem in the reverse fixture.

Monza had the lead until the 88th minute at the Brianteo but eventually had to settle for a point. They’d probably sign up for another share of the spoils before the kick-off, but the league’s second-worst attack will likely need to punch above its weight to help Nesta keep hold of his job. Only Lecce (18) have netted fewer Serie A goals than Monza’s 21 this term.

Team News

Carlos Augusto has made the matchday squad after overcoming a minor fitness problem. However, Inter will be without Federico Dimarco, Nicola Zalewski, and Matteo Darmian. Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan should return to the starting XI after being benched against Feyenoord.

As for Monza, Stefano Sensi, Roberto Gagliardini, Luca Caldirola, Gianluca Caprari, Andrea Carboni, and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro are unavailable for selection. Nesta will likely trust ex-Inter forward Keita Balde to be the visitors’ attacking threat.

Inter vs Monza Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Acerbi; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Bastoni; Correa, Thuram.

Monza (3-5-2): Turati; D’Ambrosio, Izzo, Palacios; Pereira, Castrovilli, Bianco, Urbanksi, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Balde.

Inter vs Monza Prediction

With the division’s most prolific frontline taking on the third-worst defense, this is a textbook definition of a mismatch. Everything can happen in football, but Inter’s triumph in this fixture should be a foregone conclusion.