Competition: Italian Serie A 2016-17
Date: Saturday, 14th January, 19:45 GMT
Stadium: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milano).
Inter are seeking a fifth consecutive Serie A victory and could debut Roberto Gagliardini against Chievo.
The Flying Donkeys are currently 11th in the table and could theoretically move above Udinese and Fiorentina with a victory against an in-form Inter side.
The Nerazzurri come into this fixture on a very good run of form, picking up four consecutive victories against Udinese, Lazio, Sassuolo and Genoa, which moved Stefano Pioli’s side up the table and back into contention for a Europa League place. In fact Inter’s form is so good they have only lost twice in the last 10 Serie A games, with the losses coming away to Napoli and Sampdoria.
Pioli knows that if his side is to catch up with the rest of the Serie A big boys, then a victory against mid-table Chievo is imperative, especially considering that at the start of February they travel to Turin to face Juventus. If they can get maximum points out of their three games before that clash, they could be sitting pretty in the top five.
Chievo, on the other hand, aren’t on such as good a run as their hosts after being winless in their last two games. Conceding seven in their last two and only scoring twice, it’s clear that their problems at the moment are at the back and against an Inter side with a free-flowing Mauro Icardi leading the line, it may be a bigger problem. Marcelo Brozovic sits out a ban for the hosts with Gary Medel not fully fit yet, so new signing Gagliardini could be thrown into the mix for his debut just days after arriving from Atalanta.
While they may be languishing in mid-table, Chievo don’t really have anything to worry about going into this fixture. Already 15 points clear of the relegation zone, they seem to be safe (barring an absolute catastrophe in the latter stages of the season) and aren’t in a position to challenge for a European spot, so many will expect them to treat this as game where they may sneak a point, but it’s highly unlikely.
Inter will obviously line up with a view to win and get maximum points early on, but Chievo will try and frustrate them as much as possible. If the Verona side succeed in frustrating Inter, they may force the home side into a costly mistake. A fifth consecutive Serie A victory would be extremely important and with the Coppa Italia coming up next week, Pioli will want to get the job done as quickly as possible.
Keep an eye on: Ivan Perisic (Inter) – After scoring a brace to win Inter the game against Udinese, Perisic will be looking to add to his tally against Chievo, and could be Inter’s biggest attacking threat on the left hand side.
Form guide: Inter (W W W W L) Chievo (L L W W D)
Last Season: Inter 1-0 Chievo
Stat Fact: The Verona side won their first ever trip to San Siro, 2-1 in December 2001, followed by four stalemates and nine defeats. They’ve managed two points from the last 10 visits.
Top Tip: Mauro Icardi to score
Inter (probable): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Ansaldi; Gagliardini, Kondogbia; Candreva, Banega, Perisic; Icardi
Suspended: Brozovic
Chievo (probable): Sorrentino; Frey, Dainelli, Gamberini, Gobbi; Castro, Radovanovic, De Guzman; Birsa; Meggiorini, Pellissier
Prediction: inter win
