Inter Milan vs Hellas Verona – News and Probable Lineups

Inter Milan, having clinched double honors, will host relegated Hellas Verona for their final home match of a triumphant season this Sunday at San Siro.

They were crowned Serie A champions with three games left to play and added the Coppa Italia trophy midweek by defeating Lazio on their own turf.

Match overview

Just four days after Inter comfortably won an almost inconsequential league match, they faced Lazio yet again on Wednesday evening, this time with the national cup on the line.

Unlike the numerous vacant seats during the Nerazzurri’s 3-0 Serie A triumph last weekend—which was boycotted by local fans—Stadio Olimpico was full for this year’s Coppa Italia final.

Reaffirming their distinction as the ‘kings of Calcio,’ Inter captured both domestic cups in one season for the first time since 2010, having established a commanding lead with two goals before halftime.

Having added a 10th Coppa to their 21st Scudetto, the Milan giants have secured their first double since Jose Mourinho’s squad achieved an extraordinary treble 16 years ago.

Current head coach Cristian Chivu was part of Mourinho’s squad, and his inaugural season as head coach is now etched in club history.

Including the cup final, Chivu’s dynamic Inter team has found the net at least twice in all of their last eight matches, and they have done so in 26 out of 36 Serie A matches this season.

With 27 victories from those games, they can still match the club’s second-best record in a league season by defeating Verona and then final-day hosts Bologna.

A recent streak of eight consecutive victories against Verona at San Siro indicates that the first part of this equation shouldn’t pose too much difficulty.

Indeed, Hellas have failed to win any of the last 29 top-tier fixtures against Inter—losing 24 of them—while entering this fixture trailing the Nerazzurri by a staggering 65 points in the league table.

After barely escaping relegation for most of the last seven years, their relegation was confirmed at the end of last month, and they are already heading for Serie B.

Interim manager Paolo Sammarco will be in charge as the team goes down, and his struggling squad has earned just two points from their last eight matches, managing to score only twice in that stretch.

After surprising Juventus with a draw in Turin—moving two points clear of last place—Sammarco’s team put up a good fight against high-flying Como last time out.

Kieron Bowie, who has netted the last three goals for the Gialloblu, saw a second-half finish disallowed by VAR as they fell to a narrow 1-0 loss.

Struggling to find their offensive rhythm, Verona has now gone goalless in 19 Serie A games this season; failing to score again would equal a negative club record set back in 1989.

Team News

Following their midweek efforts in Rome and the ensuing celebrations, Inter may opt for several alterations this weekend.

Only Hakan Calhanoglu is unavailable to start due to a thigh injury, meaning Chivu will have an array of players at his disposal.

After scoring again in the cup final, captain Lautaro Martinez holds a four-goal lead in the Serie A Capocannoniere standings and may try to seal that title by starting yet again.

Alongside ex-Verona player Federico Dimarco—who has just surpassed Luis Figo’s club record for chances created in a single league season (92 in 2006-07)—Martinez possesses 23 Serie A goal involvements this year.

On the other hand, Verona’s leading scorer Gift Orban, who has netted seven goals, is sidelined due to disciplinary issues, leaving Bowie to spearhead the visitors’ attack.

Acquired in January, the Scottish striker has recently contributed to all of his team’s last three goals, all scored away from home.

Besides Orban’s absence, Hellas will also miss several players due to injuries: Suat Serdar, Daniel Mosquera, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Cheikh Niasse, and Daniel Oyegoke will all be out.

Inter Milan probable starting XI:

Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Augusto; Henrique, Barella, Sucic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez

Hellas Verona probable starting XI:

Montipo; Edmundsson, Nelsson, Valentini; Belghali, Akpa Akpro, Gagliardini, Bernede, Frese; Suslov; Bowie

Inter’s last defeat came more than two months ago in the Derby della Madonnina, and—despite ongoing celebrations in the blue and black half of Milan—another victory should come quite easily.

As they slip down to Italy’s second tier, goal-deficient Verona also struggles with a dismal away record against the Nerazzurri.