Inter Search for Win in Champions League Race
Fabrizio Andrea Bertani / Shutterstock.com
The Sunday Serie A action starts with an exciting match at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris between Sampdoria and Inter Milan.
Both teams have their eyes on the possibility of qualifying for European football next season and Sampdoria need the win in pursuit of 6th place and a spot in the Europa League. They start this match 3 points behind AC Milan, who occupy the 6th position.
Inter Milan will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League but they start this weekend sitting outside the top four, in 5th place. Luciano Spalletti’s team have a game in hand over Roma and Lazio, who are currently above them but a loss in this match could see them cut adrift of their rivals.
Sampdoria come into this match looking to bounce back from a shock defeat at relegation threatened Crotone last week. Not only did Sampdoria lose the match, they lost in style, going down 4-1 to a team they were expected to defeat.
Some of Sampdoria’s defending left a lot to be desired and they will need to improve dramatically in this match.
While recent away results have not been great, Sampdoria are a different team in-front of their own fans and trends show they have remained undefeated in their last six home Serie A games. In fact, Sampdoria have lost just two of their last fourteen league games on home soil and will be looking to build on that record by winning this match.
Sampdoria have scored in each of their last six home Serie A matches.
Inter Milan were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Napoli last weekend and while on the face of it this was a decent point against a team going for the title, Inter Milan cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to finish inside the top four this season.
That draw means Inter Milan have won only two of their last twelve Serie A games but trends show they have lost just one of the last nine in the league. From these statistics, it becomes clear Inter Milan are not always easy to beat but they have a problem when it comes to taking maximum points from games.
This is true when looking at their away form and Inter Milan have failed to win in their last five away Serie A games but have picked up three draws. Inter Milan have conceded in all but one of those game and have scored just 2 goals.
Team news and Sampdoria have doubts over Bartosz Bereszynski and Jacopo Sala and both will need fitness tests ahead of the game and could leave the hosts short in the full-back positions. Karol Linetty is suspended.
Inter Milan are at full strength for this game with Borja Valero and Matias Vecino the only players to have missed out last weekend due to the death of their friend Davide Astori.
This match has a draw written all over it. Sampdoria are not firing on all cylinders now but are strong at home whereas Inter Milan do not lose many games but struggle to pick up wins.
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