Champions Inter Milan welcome Roma to San Siro on Wednesday, having showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas since securing their 19th Scudetto.
While their visitors ended a disastrous spell with successive wins and the surprise appointment of Inter legend Jose Mourinho as their new manager, the Nerazzurri turned on the style to add another game to their long unbeaten streak.
Match preview
© Reuters
Crowned champions of Italy last week, after an 11-year title drought, Inter confirmed their Serie A supremacy with four rounds to spare and have now gone unbeaten in the league since their surprise away loss to Sampdoria in early January.
Having registered a run of 14 wins and four draws since that distant defeat, the Nerazzurri were seeking a 14th straight home win against the same opposition last Saturday.
Following an impressive 5-1 thrashing of a Samp side with little left to play for, Antonio Conte's much-changed side secured a new club record - beating a streak of 13 set back in 2011. With regulars such as Romelu Lukaku and Stefan de Vrij offered a rare rest at San Siro, third-choice striker Alexis Sanchez netted a double, while young forward Andrea Pinamonti fired home his first Serie A goal for the club.
Against the backdrop of serious financial problems which could constrain Conte's plans to conquer Europe next year, Inter will now continue their lap of honour against a team whom they have drawn with in all of their last six Serie A meetings - a sign of how well-matched the two clubs had previously been.
However, this year, the Nerazzurri have streaked clear of an ailing Roma side by virtue of posting the second-best attacking figures in the top flight, allied with undoubtedly the tightest defence in Italy.
Having conceded only 30 goals in 35 matches to date - added to a tally of 14 clean sheets - is reflective of the intense work ethic Conte has instilled in his charges this season. So even with the title won, Roma should expect a typically highly-charged encounter on Wednesday night.
© Reuters
The Eternal City was at the centre of the football world late last week, as it was announced that current Roma coach Paulo Fonseca would leave at the end of the season to be replaced by his globally renowned countryman Jose Mourinho - still a towering figure in Serie A, due to overseeing Inter's historic treble back in 2010.
Having previously stumbled through a run of six games without a win - including several fixtures against top-flight minnows and a Europa League thrashing by Manchester United - the Giallorossi have since ended a tumultuous period with back-to-back wins at Stadio Olimpico.
A consolation victory over United last Thursday was followed, on Sunday, by a 5-0 stroll versus hapless bottom side Crotone, who continue to shatter all kinds of records for defensive deficiencies. Both Borja Mayoral and Lorenzo Pellegrini bagged braces, with the capital club making short work of the Calabrians - overcoming a debilitating injury list to chalk up a 12th home win of the season.
Still highly-rated by many in the Italian game, exit-bound Fonseca will now be aiming to finish on the front foot, by at least securing a return to continental competition next season. His side, however, have won only two of their last nine league games to sit seventh with a slim two-point buffer to Sassuolo heading into the final three games.
The first of which comes at San Siro, where Roma venture to in the knowledge that they rank only 13th in the 'away only' standings this season - a major factor in why their current coach will depart for pastures new at the end of the month.
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Antonio Conte surprised many at the weekend by giving a rare opportunity to several squad players, such as Roberto Gagliardini, Danilo D'Ambrosio and Matias Vecino, but is likely to revert to a marginally more familiar XI for the visit of Roma.
Only injured pair Aleksandar Kolarov and Arturo Vidal - yet to return to fitness after knee surgery - are set to be sidelined for Inter, so the ex-Juventus boss has numerous options to choose from.
Christian Eriksen's berth in the Nerazzurri engine room may be in jeopardy, as the Danish star and Gagliardini are set to be replaced by Marcelo Brozovic and Nicolo Barella, who both appeared as substitutes last time out. Meanwhile, out wide, Matteo Darmian will battle it out for a place on the right - with Ivan Perisic poised to feature on the opposite flank.
Top scorer Romelu Lukaku should be promoted from his role as unused sub to take a place in the lineup, ahead of either Lautaro Martinez or Alexis Sanchez.
By contrast with the hosts' embarrassment of riches, Roma's injury woes roll on, as Chris Smalling suffered a thigh problem against former club Manchester United last week and fellow centre-back Federico Fazio came down with tonsilitis ahead of Sunday's game.
Furthermore, first-choice goalkeeper Pau Lopez will miss the remainder of the season as he undergoes shoulder surgery, so Daniel Fuzato is expected to start again.
Midfield options Amadou Diawara, Gonzalo Villar, Riccardo Calafiori and Carles Perez could all still be sidelined on Wednesday, with Jordan Veretout and Leonardo Spinazzola both considered unlikely to return before the end of the season. Therefore, teenage prospect Ebrima Darboe could be involved again from the start.
Defender Gianluca Mancini returns from suspension to make the trip north, so will slot straight back into the lineup; allowing Paulo Fonseca to revert to his preferred three-man back line if required - though Davide Santon could come in at full-back in a four.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Radu; Skriniar, Ranocchia, D'Ambrosio; Darmian, Barella, Brozovic, Vecino, Perisic; Sanchez, Lukaku
Roma possible starting lineup:
Fuzato; Santon, Kumbulla, Mancini, Karsdorp; Cristante, Pellegrini, Darboe; Pedro, Mkhitaryan; Dzeko
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 Roma
Antonio Conte's 100th game in charge of Inter should see his 63rd win, as even on cruise mode, the Nerazzurri have far too much firepower for an injury-hit visiting side.
Roma have stabilised somewhat since seeing their season sink down the plughole in recent weeks, but they are still defensively suspect and have struggled away from their capital headquarters in 2020-21.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Inter Milan win with a probability of 61.39%. A draw had a probability of 20% and a win for Roma had a probability of 18.65%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Milan win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.82%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.76%) and 1-0 (8.05%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.02%), while for a Roma win it was 1-2 (5.06%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Inter Milan would win this match.
