Continuing their quest to retain the Scudetto, Serie A leaders Inter Milan aim to extend their advantage to six points by beating Parma on Saturday evening.
Ultimately dreaming of a treble triumph next month, Inter play two days before title rivals Napoli so can apply more pressure with a win.
Match preview
Still seeking three pieces of silverware this season, Inter kept themselves in contention to reach the Coppa Italia final last time out, as they salvaged a semi-final first-leg draw against AC Milan at San Siro.
Their city rivals stole a march when Tammy Abraham‘s clinical finish seized the lead on Wednesday night, but that goal was later cancelled out by a classic Hakan Calhanoglu strike from outside the box.
The Turkish midfielder took great joy in scoring against his old club as Inter deservedly drew level, having been denied by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan on several occasions – albeit their fans will be frustrated to go four games without a win against the Rossoneri this term.
While the second leg takes place near the end of April, Simone Inzaghi‘s men must first meet Parma, Cagliari and Bologna in Serie A, plus Bayern Munich twice in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Italian champions tightened their grip on top spot last weekend, returning from the international break with a 2-1 home win over Udinese, as Inzaghi rotated his squad in preparation for such a frantic fixture list.
Leading sole challengers Napoli by three points with eight rounds remaining, the Nerazzurri have their destiny within their own hands, and they can now turn the screw by extending that lead before Antonio Conte‘s side visit in-form Bologna.
However, Inter have won only one of their last five away games in Serie A, having taken maximum points from the previous eight while keeping seven clean sheets. So, they will be intent on avoiding another slip-up at Stadio Tardini.
So far this century, a total of 18 league meetings between these sides in Parma have produced seven wins apiece and four draws – but Inter have won on all of their last three visits.
In fact, the last time Saturday’s hosts beat the Nerazzurri anywhere dates back to September 2018, when current Inter star Federico Dimarco scored the first Serie A goal of his career, while still wearing the Gialloblu jersey.
Another crossover between the clubs will take place this weekend, as ex-Inter defender and academy coach Cristian Chivu leads his new team out at the Tardini.
After draws with relegation rivals Monza and Hellas Verona either side of the international window, Parma have avoided defeat in four of their five fixtures under Chivu – as many times as throughout the final 13 games of Fabio Pecchia‘s reign.
So, they sit three points above the drop zone, with a good chance of swerving an immediate return to Italy’s second tier, from which they emerged as champions last season.
Team News
Between the season’s fourth Derby della Madonnina and a huge Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, Inter are bound to make changes – with at least one forced by Nicolo Barella‘s suspension.
Elsewhere, first-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer and flying wing-back Federico Dimarco are likely to be brought back into the starting XI.
While Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski are still sidelined, and Mehdi Taremi continues to struggle with a groin issue, captain Lautaro Martinez could return from a hamstring injury he sustained on international duty.
However, ‘El Toro’ may not be ready to start alongside regular partner Marcus Thuram; so, after Joaquin Correa played and set up Hakan Calhanoglu’s goal against Milan, he will again vie with Marko Arnautovic to feature up front.
Meanwhile, Parma can welcome Brazilian midfielder Hernani back from a one-match ban, but they still have several absences to deal with.
Adrian Benedyczak, Alessandro Circati, Gabriel Charpentier, Yordan Osorio and Valentin Mihaila are all sidelined, while Matteo Cancellieri might miss out for a third straight week.
Set to start up front – with Milan Djuric short of full fitness – Ange-Yoan Bonny has scored six league goals this term, including last month’s superb solo strike in Monza. To date, Paul Pogba is the only Frenchman to score seven times in a Serie A season before turning 22, but Bonny is on track to repeat that feat.
Parma possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Del Prato, Vogliacco, Valenti, Valeri; Hernani, Bernabe, Sohm; Man, Bonny, Almqvist
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Thuram
We say: Parma 1-2 Inter Milan
Not currently at the peak of their powers, Inter have been finding a way to get the job done, and they can certainly do so again in Emilia-Romagna.
Though Parma have improved under Cristian Chivu, they will surely suffer another defeat to go with December’s 3-1 loss at San Siro, leaving them glancing nervously over their shoulders.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
