Preview: Como vs Inter Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Already on course to claim the Scudetto, Inter Milan will continue their quest for a rare domestic double on Tuesday evening, when they visit Como in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

Kicking off at Stadio Sinigaglia, the overall winner of a two-legged tie will meet either Lazio or Atalanta in this season's decider.

Match preview

While Inter recently endured more Champions League disappointment - following their crushing failure in the 2025 final by losing to Bodo/Glimt in this year's knockout playoffs - they still have plenty to play for.

The Nerazzurri's lone domestic double was won back in 2006, followed four years later by their famous treble triumph under Jose Mourinho, but they could repeat that rare feat in May.

Unbeaten in 15 Serie A matches, winning all of the last eight, Inter have gone through the gears, tightening their grip on top spot while others slipped up.

Cristian Chivu's free-scoring side stayed well clear of the chasing pack by beating Genoa at the weekend, bouncing straight back from their dismal European exit to Bodo.

This season's star man Federico Dimarco broke the deadlock at San Siro with a first-time angled finish, before penalty specialist Hakan Calhanoglu secured maximum points from the spot.

With the Scudetto all but sealed, Inter must now return to their Coppa Italia campaign, having previously knocked out Venezia and Torino to reach the final four.

Nine-time winners - most recently in 2023 - the Nerazzurri lost to city rivals AC Milan in last year's semis, but they intend to reach Rome this season.

By comparison with their illustrious neighbours, Como have a much more modest history, but they are currently enjoying their best-ever campaign.

Just two years after returning to Italy's top tier, the big-spending Lariani are already contenders for Europe, and recent back-to-back wins have aided their cause.

After doing the double over fallen giants Juventus - beating the Bianconeri 2-0 for the second time this season - they saw off lowly Lecce on Saturday.

Tasos Douvikas quickly hauled the hosts level after they fell behind, before goals from Jesus Rodriguez and Marc-Oliver Kempf made sure of victory.

Still vying for a top-four finish, Como are also contending for their first Coppa Italia, having taken the long route to this year's final four.

After eliminating Sudtirol and Sassuolo in the opening rounds, an away win over Fiorentina set up a tough trip to reigning Serie A champions Napoli in the quarter-finals.

Booking their first cup semi for 40 years, the Biancoblu eventually triumphed 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout, with Jean Butez superbly saving Stanislav Lobotka's spot kick. 

Highly-rated coach Cesc Fabregas - who Inter tried to lure away last summer - prefers a possession-based style, so they may now go toe-to-toe with their Lombardy rivals, despite losing 4-0 at San Siro in December.

Como Coppa Italia form:

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Inter Milan Coppa Italia form:

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Inter Milan form (all competitions):

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Team News

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Inter's captain - and Serie A's Capocannoniere leader - Lautaro Martinez is still sidelined by a calf injury, so Chivu will choose any two from Francesco Pio Esposito, Marcus Thuram and Ange-Yoan Bonny to lead his attack.

Alessandro Bastoni is now available after serving a suspension, so the Italy defender could displace Carlos Augusto in the visitors' back three.

Cup goalkeeper Josep Martinez may also come in for Swiss veteran Yann Sommer, while Calhanoglu and Denzel Dumfries will both push for a start after recently returning to fitness. 

While Dimarco has just taken his tally to six goals this term - having also notched eight assists across his last six league appearances - Nico Paz provides Como's creative spark.

The Argentinian forward has 15 goal involvements in Serie A, though he missed the win over Juve through suspension before starting on the bench against Lecce.

Martin Baturina (ankle) and Jayden Addai (Achilles) were both hit by injuries last week, but Assane Diao made his comeback on Saturday, after several months spent watching from the sidelines.

Como possible starting lineup:

Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Carlos, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Rodriguez; Douvikas

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Esposito

We say: Como 1-1 Inter Milan

Three meetings since Como were promoted to Serie A have all gone Inter's way - and by an 8-0 aggregate scoreline - but this first leg should be much closer.

Inter have won 11 of 13 league matches on the road, only conceding nine goals, so they can record a draw before the teams reconvene in Milan at the end of April.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.