Inter Milan Vs Monza Prediction: Nerazzurri Aims For Serial Victory At San Siro

Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez two sharp Inter Milan spears (photo: x @TIKUSFANS)

JAKARTA - Inter Milan will try to widen the gap with their competitors at the top of Serie A when they host Monza at the San Siro on Saturday night 8 March. After failing to secure an important victory over Napoli last week, the Nerazzurri won the Champions League and are now targeting three points against the Serie A caretaker team.

Inter Milan have just missed a golden opportunity to widen their lead at the top of Serie A after only drawing 1-1 against Napoli last week. Federico Dimarco's spectacular free-kick had put Inter ahead, but they conceded in stoppage time and had to settle for one point.

After appearing less powerful against Napoli, Inter came back with a 2-0 win over Feyennoord in the first leg of the Champions League last 16. Marcus Thuram opened the scoring before Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead early in the second half. The goal made Lautaro the Inter's top scorer in history in European competition with 18 goals.

Inter are still competing in three competitions this season, with the Coppa Italia semifinal against AC Milan scheduled for next month. In Serie A, they are six points ahead of Juventus who are in fourth place, the smallest difference in Serie A history at this stage in the 21st century.

Inter are now eyeing a fourth straight win at the San Siro, something they haven't achieved in nearly a year. However, the 1-1 draw in the first meeting of the season against Monza is a warning to Simone Inzaghi's troops not to underestimate their opponents.

On the other hand, Monza had a bad season and is currently slumped at the bottom of the table with just 14 points. They are nine points behind the safe zone after losing 2-0 to Torino last week. Even more worrying, they failed to score in their last three home games.

Monza has only won once at the San Siro in four Serie A matches against Inter or AC Milan, namely in April 2023 against the Nerazzurri. However, with their poor performance this season, the chances of repeating these results seem small.

Simone Inzaghi is likely to rotate her squad given the busy schedule, especially ahead of the second leg against Feyenoord. Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez are likely to be rested, although Lautaro is likely to remain playing as he has an impressive record against Monza, with five goals in five appearances.

Inter are still missing some key players in wing-back positions, including Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco, and Nicola Zalewski who are still injured. However, Carlos Augusto has the potential to return to the squad, while main goalkeeper Yann Sommer has recovered from a thumb injury and is ready to play.

In the Monza camp, Alessandro Nesta lost several players, including three former Inter'S Stefano Sensi, Roberto Gagliardini, and Luca Caldirola and Gianluca Caprari, Andrea Carboni, and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro.

In an effort to find goals, Nesta tried a two-forward formation last week by pairing Silvere Ganvoula and Keita Balde, although to no avail. Balde, who has scored five goals in 24 Serie A games for Inter, is likely to be played in the early minutes with Dany Mota, Monza's goalscorer in the first meeting of the season.

Inter Milan: Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Pavard; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Correa, L. Martinez.

Monza: Turati; D'Ambrosio, Izzo, Palacios; Pereira, Zeroli, Bianco, Kyriakopoulos; Ciurria; Balde, Ganvoula