Inter will be looking to place themselves a step closer to securing the Serie A title this weekend. League leaders will travel to Crotone for matchday 34 with 11 point lead in hand over second-place Atalanta.
Both teams are at the opposite end of the spectrum in the Serie A table. Whereas Inter could possibly clinch their 19th Scudetto while Crotona could surely be relegated this weekend.
Inter squeezed past Verona in the last outing where Matteo Darmian got to the end of Hakimi’s pass and scored the only goal.
Inter hasn’t been sublime in recent weeks but they have been playing to their strengths and churning favorable results.
Conte said in his interview: “At this point of the season, the ball becomes heavy and it’s inevitable that everyone feels the pressure.”
Barella recently said in his interview with Sky:
“We haven’t always played particularly well, but results are what we need. We all know what our objective is, and we need to try to pick up wins. If we do so after playing well, all the better.”
With their eyes firmly set on the prize, Conte and his men will look to put up a dominant performance against Crotone to seal the deal.
Crotone beat Parma in their last outing 4-3 to put an end to their losing streak. They are still 13 points behind the safety zone and will have an uphill battle to come out of the relegation zone.
Statistics & Encounters
Inter scores an average of 2.6 goals per game against Crotone. In 5 games, Inter has scored 13 goals.
In those 5 games, Inter has won 3 of them with 1 draw and 1 win for Crotone.
Inter is unbeaten in 17 Serie A matches, it is their longest unbeaten streak in a single season since Feb 2008.
The reverse fixture ended in an onslaught, 6-2 to Inter with Lautaro scoring a hat-trick.
Lukaku’s form has dipped in recent games but he still leads Inter with 21 goals and 9 assists.
Crotone’s unsung hero this season has been Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo (Simy), who has amassed 19 goals this season and is in the top 5 goal scorers in Serie A.
Inter’s Form Guide: W-W-D-D-W
Crotone’s Form Guide: L-L-L-L-W
Suspensions, Injuries & Team News
Arturo Vidal and Kolarov will miss this clash due to injuries.
No suspensions or injuries to report for Inter. Conte should have the rest of the squad available at his disposal.
Crotone will be without Luca Marrone due to injury.
Probable Line-ups
Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic, Skriniar, Bastoni, De Vrij, Hakimi, Barella, Eriksen, Brozovic, Perisic, Lukaku, Martinez.
Crotone (3-5-2): Cordaz, Magallan, Djidji, Golemic, Molina, Zanellato, Messias, Cigarini, Reca, Ounas, Simy.
Prediction
Inter: 3
Crotone: 0
