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

New Serie A champions Inter Milan will begin their victory lap with a trip to Rome on Saturday evening, when they visit Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.

After Inter secured their 21st Scudetto last weekend, next up is a dress rehearsal for this year's Coppa Italia final.

Match preview

Champions-elect for several weeks, Inter were formally crowned kings of Calcio last Sunday, sewing up top spot with three rounds remaining.

Confirming their status, Cristian Chivu's imperious side now sit 12 points clear of second-placed Napoli following a 2-0 home win over Parma.

While celebrations continued for several days in the black-and-blue half of Milan, the Nerazzurri cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

Inter are still targeting a rare domestic double, and their first since Jose Mourinho's team went on to claim a memorable treble back in 2010.

Chivu was one of Mourinho's players during those glory days, but if his squad prevail in next week's Coppa Italia decider, his first season as head coach will also go down in club folklore.

Striding towards the finish line, Inter's last loss was in the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan more than two months ago, and a new points record could be on the cards.

Having accumulated 82 this term - already one more than through all of last season - their best-ever tally of 90 could yet be surpassed.

By far the league's leading scorers, Inter have also found the net at least twice in their last six fixtures, and that bodes well for this trip to the capital.

Now set for back-to-back games against Lazio at the Olimpico, they have won the clubs' last two clashes there by an emphatic 8-0 aggregate scoreline.

Either home or away, Lazio's last league win over Inter dates back to August 2022, and they were beaten 2-0 at San Siro in this term's reverse fixture.

Nonetheless, the Rome club are now in good shape to fare better, both in Sunday's warm-up and next Wednesday's cup final.

Previously slumping down the standings, Lazio have been transformed since winter turned to spring, and they are not totally out of contention to qualify for Europe via Serie A.

Four points adrift of Atalanta, who occupy the last possible continental place, they could still claim seventh spot.

Only if Inter win the cup would that secure a Conference League berth, so Lazio will be going all-in on the Coppa Italia, particularly as lifting silverware on home turf could rescue an underwhelming campaign.

The Biancocelesti may yet miss out on Europe for a second straight season, but they seem to be finishing with a flourish: after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Udinese one week earlier, another late goal helped them beat Cremonese on Monday.

Now, after posting five wins from eight games in Serie A - and just one loss from their last 10 all told - Maurizio Sarri's men must face the ultimate test.

Lazio Serie A form:

W D L W D W

Lazio form (all competitions):

D L W W D W

Inter Milan Serie A form:

D W W W D W

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

W W W W D W

Team News

With the Scudetto wrapped up, Inter will surely rest some players ahead of the cup final, and Chivu has plenty of options to choose from.

Only Hakan Calhanoglu is set to miss out with a thigh injury, while Pio Esposito's presence is in doubt due to a minor back problem.

The latter may be absent, but Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram are available: the pair are Serie A's top two marksmen this season, with Martinez holding a three-goal lead in the Capocannoniere race.

While Thuram has recently scored six times in his last five league appearances, Lazio's most productive player is Gustav Isaksen, who has only netted five goals all season.

Just behind him on four, veteran winger Pedro memorably scored twice against Inter around this time last year, effectively costing them the title.

Both must vie with several contenders for selection, as Boulaye Dia and Tijjani Noslin found the net last week, while Matteo Cancellieri is back from a ban and captain Mattia Zaccagni recently returned to action.

With key defender Mario Gila and playmaker Nicolo Rovella also nearing fitness, only first and third choice goalkeepers Ivan Provedel and Alessio Furlanetto are definitely ruled out.

Lazio possible starting lineup:

Motta; Marusic, Romagnoli, Provstgaard, Tavares; Basic, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

J. Martinez; Bisseck, Acerbi, Augusto; Dumfries, Frattesi, Zielinski, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez

We say: Lazio 1-1 Inter Milan

Neither side will want to go full gas in this game, which comes just after Inter's coronation as Serie A champions and just before next week's cup final.

So, a low-key draw is the likeliest outcome, setting the stage for a much more important clash at Stadio Olimpico four days later.

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