Inter host Palermo at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday night in Serie A, with the Nerazzurri hoping to close the gap on the Champions League places while edging the Rosanero closer to the relegation places.
Il Biscione will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Juventus in Serie A at the Juventus Stadium and will be boosted by their 3-0 midweek Coppa Italia semi-final second leg victory over the Bianconeri, despite losing the tie on penalties.
Roberto Mancini’s men currently sit in fifth position in the standings on 48 points, five points off Roma and Fiorentina in third and fourth respectively, with those sides set to meet on Friday night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
The Nerazzurri won their last outing at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza along with eight of their 13 Serie A home games this season, losing three and drawing the other two, scoring 16 goals and conceding just nine in the process.
The Rosanero, meanwhile, have only won two of their last ten games, failing to register a victory in any of their last six outings, and re-appointing Giuseppe Iachini in mid-February in the hope of re-igniting their shambolic season.
Iachini’s side sit in 17th-place in the table on 27 points after round 27, only four points ahead of Frosinone and six points from 19th-place Carpi. The Aquile have won three of their 13 fixtures away from the home, with their last victory coming in early January in a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona.
When the two sides met earlier this season the game ended 1-1 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, while Inter defeated Sunday’s opponents 3-0 in the corresponding fixture last season.
In the past ten Milan-based encounters between the sides, the Nerazzurri have won six with the other four games ending in draws. The Rosanero have never defeated Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza and have conceded 112 goals against them in the top-flight, more than against any other side.
In team news, Inter are set to be without Geoffrey Kondogbia who suffered concussion during the victory over the Old Lady on Wednesday night, which forced the former Monaco midfielder off at half-time. Top-scorer and captain Mauro Icardi is expected to return to the starting line-up after being rested from midweek action.
Palermo are expected to stick with the side that started last week’s 0-0 with Bologna, with Franco Vazquez and Alberto Gilardino set to lead the line in a 3-5-2 formation.
Form Guide: Inter (D-L-W-L-W) Palermo (L-D-L-L-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Inter (4-3-3): Handanovic, D’Ambrosio, Murillo, Miranda, Nagatomo; Brozovic, Melo, Medel; Eder, Icardi, Perisic.
Palermo (3-5-2): Posavec, Vitiello, Gonzalez, Andelkovic; Morganella, Hiljemark, Chochev, Maresca, Pezzella; Vazquez, Gilardino.
