Serie A Preview: Inter vs Fiorentina – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter and Fiorentina go head-to-head in Monday night’s revenge-poised Serie A showdown. The stakes are high for both teams as they renew hostilities only four days after a spectacular game in Tuscany.

A match, originally rescheduled due to Edoardo Bove’s collapse on the pitch, finally got its epilogue last Thursday. However, it was a sorrowful one for Inter as Fiorentina, inspired by Moise Kean’s brace, thrashed them 3-0 at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Suffering their heaviest league defeat under Scudetto-winning boss Simone Inzaghi denied Inter a glorious chance to leapfrog Napoli at Serie A’s table summit. As a result, they commenced this matchday three points adrift of Antonio Conte’s side.

Enacting revenge will be at the forefront of Inter’s minds when high-flying Fiorentina roll into town tomorrow. Raffaele Palladino’s charges have pieced together three league victories on the trot for the first time since an incredible run of eight between the start of October and early December.

In doing so, Fiorentina entered this round in Serie A’s top four, only for Juventus’ late win at Como to demote them to fifth. However, only a point separates them from the record-time Italian champions ahead of the kick-off, meaning a win here would fire them back to the final Champions League qualifying spot.

However, that could be easier said than done. With the season approaching its crunch stage, Inter can’t afford to drop points on home turf, especially with Napoli showing no signs of slowing down under natural-born winner Conte.

Match Preview

Inter

Thursday’s fiasco in Florence knocked Inter down from a remarkable 16-game unbeaten run in Serie A, marking their first league defeat since a Derby della Madonnina heartache in mid-September. The season is long and demanding, so losses are somewhat inevitable, yet it was Inter’s heaviest top-flight defeat since May 2019.

Needless to say, Inter will be out to settle the account with Fiorentina, a side they have defeated in six of their last nine league meetings on this ground (D2, L1). History looks ominous, though, as Inzaghi’s men are staring down the barrel of back-to-back Serie A games without scoring for the first time since April 2023.

The second match in that sequence came against Fiorentina at Meazza, making it for bleak reading if you’re an Inter fan. On a more positive note, the hosts haven’t lost any of their eight home league outings since going down to Milan (W5, D3), netting at least two goals in the last four.

Neutrals should be in for a treat, regardless of the outcome. Indeed, Inter’s Serie A fixtures this season have featured a league-high average of 3.39 goals per game, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring encounter.

Fiorentina

Fiorentina’s recent form adds to this sentiment. Seven of their last eight competitive matches have featured 3+ goals. Interestingly, seven had seen both teams score before they held Inter scoreless to post their first clean sheet in all competitions after nine games.

That was also Fiorentina’s first shutout in Serie A since a narrow 1-0 home win against Cagliari in early December. However, they’ve not managed a league clean sheet on the road since November’s 2-0 victory at newcomers Como, underscoring the size of the task awaiting them in Lombardy.

This match-up hasn’t been kind to Fiorentina by any stretch of the imagination. They’ve got the better of Inter in three of their last 17 meetings in Serie A (D3, L11). But a catalog of bad omens doesn’t end there, with Fiorentina emerging victorious from only two of their last 14 Monday-held Serie A away matches (D5, L7).

Team News

Winter signing Nicola Zalewski will be at Inzaghi’s disposal for this clash and could take Federico Dimarco’s place on the left wing after the Italian picked up flu. Francesco Acerbi is back from injury but should start on the bench. Meanwhile, Denzel Dumfries is unavailable for selection due to accumulated yellow cards.

On the other hand, Fiorentina will take this trip without Danilo Cataldi, Pietro Comuzzo, and new boy Pablo Mari. Albert Gudmundsson’s match fitness remains questionable. However, the latest additions, Michael Folorunsho, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Nicolo Fagioli, could make their Viola debut.

Inter vs Fiorentina Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Zalewski; Martinez, Thuram.

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Mandragora; Colpani, Beltran, Folorunsho; Kean.

Inter vs Fiorentina Prediction

Revenge is a dish best served cold. But there wasn’t enough time for Inter’s wounds to heal, so it’d be anything but cold at Meazza tomorrow night. Anything other than three points would distance Inter from their dream of winning consecutive Serie A titles for the first time in over a decade.

Therefore, we back the home side to knock Fiorentina off their perch and get their faltering Scudetto quest back on track.