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Inter Milan vs Atalanta preview, match details, team news and predictions

Inter Milan welcome 5th-placed Atalanta to San Siro on Serie A matchday 27 as they look to extend their nine-point lead at the cusp of the League table.

by
Billy Smith
February 27, 2024

Inter Milan welcome 5th-placed Atalanta to San Siro on Serie A matchday 27 as they look to extend their nine-point lead at the cusp of the League table.

The Nerazzuri have started the year with a flying start, maintaining a 100% winning record across all competitions while scoring a sky-high 26 goals and conceding only four. Their victories since the turn of the year have come against Hellas Verona, AC Monza, Napoli, Fiorentina, Juventus, AS Roma, Salernitana, Atletico Madrid and recently, Lecce.

Simone Inzaghi’s side still have a game in hand and could go 12 points clear if they secure victory in their outstanding match.

Last time out, the Italian Super Cup winners extended their winning run to ten matches across all competitions with a routing 4:0 victory away to Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Serie A top scorer, Lautaro Martinez gave the Nerazzuri the lead when he glided past two Lecce defenders to connect with Kristjan Asllani’s fine pass to strike low into the bottom corner from the edge of the 18-yard box, marking his 100th goal in Serie A.

Inter would have doubled the lead early in the second half but a superb reflex save from Lecce’s shot-stopper, Wladimiro Falcone kept out a stunning strike from Federico Dimarco.

However, Inzaghi’s team continued piling barrages of attack on the Salentini and were able to double their lead in the 54th minute when Alexis Sanchez squared a pass to Davide Frattesi to tap home.

Frattesi turned provider this time around when his pass across the box found Martinez to triple Inter’s lead, making it his 22nd goal of the season.

Inter made it three successive goals in just 13 minutes when Stefan De Vrij connected with Dimarco’s corner with a towering header in the 67th minute to make it 4:0. They will now look to continue their run of form when they face Atalanta on Wednesday.

For Atalanta, they played out in familiar territory last time out, playing out a 1:1 draw with AC Milan at San Siro

Rafael Leao gave the Rossoneri the lead in the third minute of the match in magnificent fashion, making a solo run before striking the ball at the back of the net from a tight angle, his first goal in Serie A in five months.

Milan were the dominant side all through the game but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side levelled the scoring before halftime against the run of play. The Orobici were awarded a penalty after Olivier Giroud’s foul inside the box. Teun Koopmeiners made no mistake from the spot as his strike sent Milan’s goalkeeper, Mike Maignan the opposite direction to draw the tie level.

Atalanta were mostly on the back foot all through the game as Stefano Pioli’s side were the better team with 20 attempts.

Missed chances, solid defensive display and brilliant saves from goalkeeper, Marco Carnesecchi kept out chances from Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to keep the tie level at 1-1

The Orobici now sit in fifth place in the Serie A log and could usurp fourth-placed Bologna with victory at San Siro on Wednesday.

Inter Milan v Atalanta Match details

Date: Wednesday, 28 February 2024

Location: Milan, Italy

Venue: San Siro

Kick-off time: 19:45 GMT, 2:45 PM ET,

Referee: Andrea Colombo

Tickets: Match going fans can buy tickets through the respective club channels. There are unlikely to be many left but fans can still buy sold-out Inter Milan tickets via trusted online resellers.

Match stats and head-to-head

•Inter are the leading goalscorers in Serie A this season with 63 goals and also the best defence in the Italian top flight with only 12 goals conceded in 25 matches.

•Gasperini’s side are also unbeaten in 2024, recording eight wins and two draws across all competitions.

•The Nerazzuri have emerged victorious in the last four matches against Atalanta.

•Inter have won all their ten matches since the turn of the year across all competitions

•Victory against Atalanta could hand the nineteen-time Serie A Champions their seventh consecutive victory in Serie A at the start of a calendar year for the first time in their history

•Inter are unbeaten in their last ten top-flight matches against Atalanta, marking their longest unbeaten run against the Orobici.

•Atalanta have a poor record in away games against Inter as they are winless in their previous nine encounters. Their last victory at the San Siro was in 2013 and 2014 where they recorded back-to-back victories against the Nerazzuri.

Team News

Inzaghi will be without the trio of Marcus Thuram, Juan Cuadrado and Francesco Acerbi through Achilles and muscle injuries respectively.

After his failed move to Leicester City in the January transfer window, Stefano Sensi remains sidelined due to an ankle injury.

First-choice goalkeeper, Yann Sommer is a doubt for the game after missing the away clash to Lecce. The Nerazzuri are in safe hands as Emil Audero would once again deputise in goal.

Yann Aurel Bisseck, De Vrij, Benjamin Pavard, Alessandro Bastoni and Carlos Augusto are all in contention to feature in Inzaghi’s back three.

Atalanta have a clean slate of injury concerns ahead of the clash against Inter. Nigerian forward, Ademola Lookman made his first appearance since returning from the African Cup of Nations, coming on at half-time against Milan. He served a brief hiatus from making an appearance due to an ankle injury.

He is set to battle Aleksei Miranchuk and Charles De Ketelaere for a spot in the attack against the Serie A leaders.

A final decision on who could start at right-back between Davide Zappacosta and Emil Holm would be made as Gasperini would be eager to use the best capable defensive players against Inter’s rampaging attack.