Preview – Venezia vs Inter Milan: Nerazzurri Riding A Wave Of Optimism Into Venice | OneFootball

Inter are possibly the most in-form team in the league at the moment, they travel to Serie A newcomers Venezia in a battle of the league’s most stylish kit. Match tonight Saturday at 20:45 CET.

Buoyed by successive and impressive wins against Napoli and then Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter must now face Venezia in a bid to keep their positive momentum going.

Despite this being their first season in Serie A in nine years, coach Paolo Zanetti’s men have put in a decent account of themselves so far, and the Venetians find themselves sitting in a very respectable 14 spot in the league table.

The young coach and his team of mostly unknown names have largely impressed, beating teams like Roma, Fiorentina and Bologna this season.

Interestingly, Venezia have only lost once so far at home, a freak loss against league minnows Salernitana. If Inter are to beat them, it will not be a walk in the park.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter cannot underestimate this match by any means, rumours about lots of squad rotation might be symptomatic of a certain overconfidence in the Inter camp.

There is a quasi-consensus that Nicolo Barella will be rested here, the Italian midfielder has been running his socks off for over two consecutive seasons and now is due some much deserved rest.

There are some thoughts of resting Ivan Perisic, but in all cases, expect the Croatian to make an appearance, even if off the bench.

Inzaghi must demonstrate that he is able to do what Anotonio Conte did, but better; one of the best aspects of Conte’s Inter was their ability handily get the results when it was expected of them, no nonsense. Inzaghi must do the same if his team is going to have any chance of retaining the title.

Team News

With the exception of Stefan Di Vrij’s injury, which is expected to keep him out of the side for another ten days or so, Inter’s treatment room is filled with the over-age players; Arturo Vidal, Aleksander Kolarov and Alexis Sanchez are all out with injuries at the moment.

Probable Inter line-up (3-5-2): Handanovic (C); Skriniar, Ranocchia, Bastoni; Darmian, Gagliardini, Calhanoglu, Brozovic, Perisic; Lautaro, Dzeko.

Stats

Last Season: Not played as Venezia in Serie B.

Last 10 Head to Head:Seeing that the last encounter between the two sides was just about a decade ago (January 2002) it is difficult to draw any conclusions from any legacy head to head record.

That said, the last two trips for Nerazzurri to Venice have ended in losses for the visitors.

Keep An Eye On

Ivan Perisic: The veteran winger has, in recent week, rolled back the years and is making a strong case for himself as Inter’s outstanding player of the season so far.

Having poached a crucial goal against Napoli last weekend, the Croatian put in a career defining performance against Shakhtar midweek to take the Nerazzurri into the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in a decade. The Venetians should fear the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

Officials

Referee: Livio Marinelli. Assistant referees: Di Vuolo and Galetto. Fourth Official: Gariglio. VAR: Irrati and Carbone.

Prediction & Concluding Remarks

Prediction & scorers: Venezia 1 – 3 Inter; with Lautaro and Brozo and Dzeko scoring for the good guys.

Concluding remarks: Inter must make the most of the wave of positive momentum they’re riding at the moment. In a week where their direct competitors are in tricky fixtures, the Nerazzurri must do their part and bring home the three points.