Inter play host to Frosinone at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening in Serie A.
The Nerazzurri are currently second in the Serie A table on 27 points, equal on points with first placed Fiorentina who lead on goal difference. Contrastingly, the away side are a harrowing 18th in the table – although a win could see them rise out of the relegation zone.
Inter’s recent form has been nothing short of exquisite as they look to extend their three match winning streak in the league. On the other hand, Frosinone’s fluctuating form – a lack of consistency by all means – has been one of the main reasons they are battling relegation. Most recently, they drew 2-2 against Genoa at their home ground, despite leading 2-1 right till the 75th minute.
Inter’s 1-0 win over Torino last weekend was their 7th 1-0 win of the season out of eight Serie A wins in total. And despite being criticized for playing a very subdued and low-tempo game, coach Roberto Mancini will continue to show greater concern towards the result than the method adopted to achieve it.
The task ahead for Frosinone coach Roberto Stellone will be an difficult hurdle, bordering insurmountable, given that his team have lost five out of six away games and are yet to secure all three points in their travels even once.
An interesting fact about this fixture is that this will be the first time in Serie A these two clubs meet.
While Inter definitely look to persist with the same formulaic and sturdy approach – an approach that has seen them keep eight clean sheets so far – the Canarini could find themselves fixing their defensive woes first and foremost, especially with seven goals conceded in their last three Serie A games.
Mancini ought to wave a huge sigh of relief as he welcomes the instrumental midfielder Felipe Melo back into the squad, following a slight niggle suffered during the international break. There are concerns, however, whether midfielders Geoffrey Kondogbia and Assane Gnoukouri will be able to take part in the game on fitness grounds. Apart from these exceptions, the Nerazzurri coach has a full strength squad to choose from on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Frosinone are still sweating over the fitness of midfielder Paolo Sammarco although it is believed that both midfielder Robert Gucher and defender Davide Bertoncini will be involved despite minor injury concerns. Other players likely to miss out for the away side include Leonardo Blanchard and Samuele Longo.
Form Guide: Inter (W-W-W-D-D) Frosinone (D-L-W-L-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Inter: Handanovic; Telles, Murillo, Miranda, D’Ambrosio; Brozovic, Felipe Melo, Guarin; Perisic, Icardi, Jovetic.
Frosinone: Leali; Crivello, Diakite, Bertoncini, Rosi; Soddimo, Gori, Gucher, Paganini; Castillo, Ciofani.
Infographic provided by sporticos.com
