Suppercoppa Italiana Preview: Inter vs Atalanta – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Kingdom Arena in Riyadh is the venue as Inter Milan and Atalanta go head-to-head in a mouth-watering Supercoppa Italiana semi-final tie. Both teams could get one step closer to achieving historic feats by taking victory in Saudi Arabia’s capital.

Inter ended last calendar year on a high. After a goalless first half, goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Lautaro Martinez, and Hakan Calhanoglu inspired Simone Inzaghi’s side to a thumping 3-0 win at Cagliari. It was their fifth consecutive Serie A win without conceding for the first time since 2012.

More importantly, they’ve whittled down the gap on table-topping Atalanta to a single point. With a game in hand, the Nerazzurri are in pole position to reclaim the top spot later this month. However, they’ll first take a short break from their league duties to defend their Supercoppa Italiana crown.

Having won the title in three previous editions, Inter could become the first team in history to do that four times in a row. On the other hand, Gian Piero Gasperini’s high-flying charges are vying for their maiden appearance in the grand final. In addition to pursuing an unprecedented feat in club history, Atalanta will be out to enact revenge on Inter.

Indeed, the reigning Scudetto holders emerged 4-0 winners when the two sides locked horns in Serie A earlier this season. But Atalanta have since gone from strength to strength, as witnessed by their current positions in the UEFA Champions League and Serie A.

Match Preview

Inter

Inter last tasted defeat against fellow Italian opposition in mid-September. Milan got the better of Inzaghi’s side in the latest edition of the iconic Derby della Madonnina, only infuriating the San Siro giants. Indeed, they’ve since gone unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches against domestic rivals (W11, D2).

Except for a last-gasp 1-0 loss at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, Inter are undefeated in 17 of their last 18 outings across all competitions (W15, D2). As if that’s not stunning enough, they’re on a scintillating 13-game unbeaten run against Atalanta (W8, D5), including six wins on the spin.

Inter scored a remarkable 19 goals across those six triumphs, highlighting the potential for another multi-goal margin win. That’s been the case in their last four competitive victories, all of which came by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ even though they failed to score before halftime twice.

Atalanta

Many teams would find Inter’s red-hot form intimidating, but not Atalanta. Marco Brescianini scored off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw at Lazio in La Dea’s last Serie A outing of 2024, stretching their unbeaten streak against Italian teams to 13 games. Yet, it also spelled the end of their 12-game winning streak against domestic clubs.

A labored draw in the capital will unlikely bother Gasperini because his men have only lost one of their last 19 competitive games, going down to reigning Champions League holders Real Madrid 3-2 (W15, D3). This encounter takes place on neutral ground. However, Atalanta won’t be afraid of leaving Bergamo.

Since Inter swept them aside at Giuseppe Meazza in September, they’ve pieced together a phenomenal ten-game unbeaten run on the road (W8, D2). Furthermore, seven of Atalanta’s eight wins during that sequence saw them score at least twice. Doing that against Inter could be easier said than done after losing Mateo Retegui to injury.

Team News

Inter took this trip without long-term absentees Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard. Stefan de Vrij and Yann Bisseck have excelled in their absence and should join forces with Bastoni tomorrow. Matteo Darmian has regained full fitness, but Denzel Dumfries should start on the right.

As for Atalanta, Retegui isn’t the only first-team star that will be missing. Gianluca Scamacca is still in the treatment room with a knee injury. But Gasperini can rely on Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere to shoulder the scoring burden. Meanwhile, Juan Cuadrado is also absent.

Inter vs Atalanta Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Samardzic, Lookman; De Ketelaere.

Inter vs Atalanta Prediction

Inter are pretty much in a league of their own at the moment. Inzaghi’s men are firing on all cylinders while they’ve regained last season’s defensive resilience. That makes them well-equipped to knock Atalanta off their perch.