Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 29/20
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Bookmaker: Unibet
Inter Milan will be welcoming AS Roma to the Giuseppe Meazza stadium on Saturday afternoon in what is set to be the biggest clash in the eight round of the Serie A season. Both teams have great expectations from this campaign, and neither are exactly where they want to be at this stage.
Inter Milan
The Italian top flight has been very interesting this term, and while the neutral lovers of the game may relish it as such, it’s not necessarily good news for the clubs usually considered as the top ones.
Be that as it may, the Nerazzurri are currently in seventh place with 12 points, two more than the Turin duo directly below, and five less than Napoli at the front of the pack. It’ll be a long way back to the top, if it is to happen at all between now and May 2023.
The form Simone Inzaghi’s team showed before the international break can be described as anything but consistent. Their last six matches in all competitions include a 3-1 home win over Cremonese, a 3-2 defeat to city rivals AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, a 0-2 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a 1-0 win at home over Torino, a 0-2 win away to Viktoria Plzen, and a 3-1 defeat away to Udinese.
Inter took the lead in that match through Nicolo Barella, but an own-goal from Milan Skriniar and goals from Jaka Bijol and Tolgay Arslan made sure the points remained in Udine.
Team News
Striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic will miss this match due to thigh problems, but attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu could make his return from injury.
If the Turkey international is not fit for a full match, Henrikh Mkhitaryan can hope to start in the middle of the park, behind Lautaro Martinez and either Edin Dzeko, who would thus face his former club, or Joaquin Correa.
AS Roma
Jose Mourinho has, of course, had the experience of leading a team against his old club before, and this is another such occasion. With Inter, the Portuguese tactician won the Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in 2010. However, there will be no emotions involved here as he sends his men out in search for the first victory over this particular opponent since 2017.
The Giallorossi have done little better than Inter so far. They sit directly above their hosts for the weekend with a single-point advantage, with Atalanta, Udinese, Lazio and Milan all squeezed in between them and Napoli at the top.
And like Inter, they’ve also shown mixed form recently, with their last-six run consisting of a 3-0 win at home over Monza, a 4-0 defeat away to Udinese, a 2-1 defeat away to Bulgarian side Ludogorets in the Europa League, a 1-2 win away to Empoli, a 3-0 home win over Finnish side HJK, and a 0-1 home defeat at the hands of Atalanta.
It was Giorgio Scavini who struck for the visitors in that match.
Team News
It will be interesting to see if Mourinho deems Paulo Dybala ready for 90 minutes after the former Juventus forward went away on international duty and failed to register a single minute on the pitch for Argentina. If not, it will likely be Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo in support of Tammy Abraham upfront, though Andrea Belotti could be given a shot seeing as nobody scored more goals away to Inter since 2016 than his four, all while playing for Torino.
Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is out with a broken tibia, which appears to have caused a proper heartbreak for the Netherlands international. He apparently only made the move to Roma, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, to get regular game-time and make sure he’s selected to represent his country at the World Cup. That is now obviously out of the question.
The same goes for right-back Rick Karsdorp, also a Dutch international, who has suffered meniscal laceration and won’t play before the year is over.
Conclusion
Both these teams have scored considerably fewer goals than last season at this stage, and despite the vast amounts of attacking talent in their ranks, there shouldn’t be too many goals.
Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 29/20
Bookmaker: Unibet
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