Inter will welcome Roma to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday evening in a match that pits two sides looking to close out disappointing campaigns in style, with both still having much to play for with only seven matches remaining in the season.
With their Scudetto hopes all but over, the Giallorossi will travel to Milan in search of nothing short of victory as they look to secure second place in the table ahead of high flying rivals Lazio.
On the other side, the Nerazzurri enter Saturday’s encounter with their slim hopes of qualifying for the Europa League all but dashed after a well played but ultimately dissatisfying 0-0 draw with rivals AC Milan in the Derby della Madoninna last weekend.
Roma have failed to keep pace with league leaders Juventus in recent months, turning what looked to be a Scudetto challenge into a struggle to maintain second place, as the Giallorossi have fallen an incredible 15 points off the pace of the Bianconeri.
In fact it’s difficult to know what to expect from both sides as neither have been able to put together a consistent run of results in 2015, only registering three wins from their last 12 Serie A matches combined, though fireworks seem to always be guaranteed when the two get together.
Their first encounter of the season lead to a six goal thriller, with Rudi Garcia’s men eventually coming out on top 4-2 in Roberto Mancini’s second match back at the helm of the Nerazzurri after replacing Walter Mazzarri sixteen days earlier.
That result, along with several others, have allowed for the Giallorossi to dominate recent proceedings, with Inter last registering a victory against the capital club in Serie A back in February 2011 in a 5-3 decision for then coach Claudio Ranieri.
Despite the recent results swinging the way of the away side in recent times, Inter still hold a sizeable advantage in the all-time head-to-head battle in Milan with the Nerazzurri leading the way with 42 victories compared to Roma’s 14 triumphs.
Mancini will welcome Fredy Guarin and Marcelo Brozovic back to the fold after missing the match against Milan, while midfield stalwart Gary Medel is ruled out through suspension.
Davide Santon is expected to start from the bench once again, though he could replace Danilo D’Ambrosio in the starting lineup should Mancini be impressed by the Italians performances in training for the remainder of the week.
Garcia will also welcome back some players from suspension with Kostas Manolas and Daniele De Rossi expected to start from the first minute after missing last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home with Atalanta.
However the French tactician will have to shuffle his lines a bit as Davide Astori is out via a one match ban, while Miralem Pjanic is not expected to start as he battles an ankle injury.
Form Guide: Inter (D-D-L-D-W-D), Roma (D-L-W-W-D-D)
Expected Starting XI’s
Inter – Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Vidic, Juan Jesus; Guarin, Brozovic, Kovacic; Hernanes; Icardi, Palacio.
Roma – De Sanctis; Florenzi, Yanga Mbiwa, Manolas, Holebas; Keita, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Gervinho, Totti, Ibarbo.
