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

Between two legs of their cup semi-final, title favourites Inter Milan and Champions League-chasing Como will clash in Serie A on Sunday evening.

By blasting five goals past Roma, Inter put an emphatic stop to their downturn last time out, while their hosts could only draw but still held onto fourth spot.

Match preview

Ending a rare win drought and extending their lead at the Serie A summit, Inter ruthlessly hammered Roma 5-2 last weekend, led by returning talisman Lautaro Martinez.

The hosts were ahead within one minute at San Siro, as their captain scored just seconds after his return from a layoff, and Martinez later grabbed a crucial third goal after Hakan Calhanoglu had produced a stunning strike from 30 yards out.

There was still time for Marcus Thuram to add a headed goal to his two assists, as head coach Cristian Chivu celebrated an impressive victory over his old club.

As city rivals AC Milan then lost to Napoli, the latter are now Inter’s closest challengers in the Scudetto race, trailing behind by seven points with as many rounds remaining.

Only once in the 21st century has a team topped Serie A with 70-plus points at this stage and not gone on to win the title, so it would take a spectacular collapse for the Nerazzurri to fail now.

Chivu's first campaign could even end with a rare domestic double: their Coppa Italia semi-final against Como will conclude with the home leg later this month.

First, Inter must head back to Stadio Sinigaglia, where the sides played out a tame goalless draw in last month’s opener - on that occasion, the hosts had more possession and carved out the better chances.

Nonetheless, following a 4-0 success in Milan earlier this season, Inter have won all three league meetings since Como returned to Italy’s top tier by an 8-0 aggregate scoreline.

Having dwelled in Calcio’s lower leagues for much of the intervening period, Como's last victory over Inter came at the Sinigaglia back in December 1985.

Now boosted by substantial investment, the Lariani pose a far greater threat to their Lombardy rivals, and they have a precious Champions League place in their grasp with just seven rounds remaining.

Battling it out with Juventus, Roma and Atalanta for one seat at Europe’s top table, Cesc Fabregas and co saw their surge towards the finish line interrupted earlier this week, when they were held to a 0-0 away draw by Udinese.

Though their five-match success streak was ended on Monday evening, Como have won all of their last three league games on home turf, scoring 10 times in the process.

Without doubt, it has been a stellar 2026 so far, and an historic European qualification would be rich reward for a team that tries to dominate play against any opposition.

However, that approach has often backfired against the vast experience of their next visitors: Fabregas has lost every game as a manager against Inter, who unsuccessfully sought to appoint him before Chivu took the reins last summer.

Como Serie A form:

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Como form (all competitions):

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Inter Milan Serie A form:

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Inter Milan form (all competitions):

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Team News

After making his long-awaited comeback, Martinez has now suffered a thigh strain and must miss Sunday's game.

'El Toro' leads the Capocannoniere rankings with 16 league goals - nine of which have broken the deadlock - and his team's win rate drops by 41% when he is not on the pitch.

Inter are also missing Yann Bisseck, but Chivu can recall Carlos Augusto after the versatile Brazilian served a suspension last week - the latter, Thuram and Calhanoglu were all on target against Como earlier this season.

Following Calhanoglu’s latest stunner, both the Nerazzurri and their hosts have scored a league-high 10 times from outside the box in Serie A; Nico Paz has netted five from mid-to-long range for Como.

Assane Diao's recent goal against Pisa made him the Lariani’s 16th different scorer this season, including main marksman Tasos Douvikas, whose last five top-flight strikes have all come on home turf.

Fabregas hopes to recover two of his young Spanish stars, as Jesus Rodriguez and Jacobo Ramon are both close to returning from minor injuries; Jayden Addai is Como’s only confirmed absentee.

Como possible starting lineup:

Butez; Smolcic, Carlos, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Esposito