Lazio vs Inter Milan – News and Probable Lineups

New Serie A titleholders Inter de Milão will kick off their celebrations with a match in Rome on Saturday evening, where they will face Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.

After clinching their 21st Scudetto last weekend, the next fixture serves as a preview for this year’s Coppa Italia final.

Match overview

Having been the favorites for several weeks, Inter were officially named champions of Calcio last Sunday, securing first place with three matches still to play.

Proving their dominance, Cristian Chivu’s formidable squad currently boasts a 12-point lead over second-place Napoli after a 2-0 victory at home against Parma.

While the celebrations continued for several days on the black-and-blue side of Milan, the Nerazzurri must remain focused.

Inter is still aiming for a rare domestic double, the first since Jose Mourinho’s team achieved an unforgettable treble back in 2010.

Chivu was among Mourinho’s players during those glorious times, but should his crew succeed in next week’s Coppa Italia final, his inaugural season as head coach will also make its mark in the club’s history.

Heading towards the end of the season, Inter’s last defeat was in the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan over two months ago, and they could potentially set a new points record.

Having accumulated 82 points this season – already one more than in the entirety of last season – their all-time high of 90 could very well be exceeded.

As the leading scorers in the league by a significant margin, Inter has also scored at least twice in their last six matches, which is encouraging heading into this fixture against Lazio.

Now set for consecutive meetings with Lazio at the Olimpico, they have triumphed in the last two encounters there with an impressive 8-0 aggregate scoreline.

In their last league encounter, whether at home or away, Lazio’s victory over Inter dates back to August 2022, and they experienced a 2-0 defeat at San Siro in this season’s earlier match.

However, the Roman club is now in a solid position to perform better in both Sunday’s game and next Wednesday’s cup final.

After struggling during the winter, Lazio has shown remarkable improvements since spring began, and they still have hopes of qualifying for Europe through Serie A.

Four points behind Atalanta, who currently occupies the last European spot, they could still secure a seventh-place finish.

If Inter claims the cup, a Conference League position is also secured, so Lazio will be all in for the Coppa Italia, especially as winning silverware on home soil could salvage their underwhelming season.

Though they may miss out on European football for a second consecutive season, they appear to be finishing on a high note: after an exhilarating 3-3 draw with Udinese just a week ago, a late goal aided them in securing a win over Cremonese on Monday.

Having achieved five wins in eight Serie A fixtures – and just one defeat in their last 10 – Maurizio Sarri’s squad faces a significant challenge ahead.

Team News

With the Scudetto already in hand, Inter is likely to rest some players ahead of the cup final, and Chivu has numerous options at his disposal.

Only Hakan Calhanoglu is anticipated to be sidelined due to a thigh injury, while Pio Esposito’s availability is uncertain owing to a minor back issue.

Though the latter might be unavailable, both Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram are fit to play: the duo are the top two goal scorers in Serie A this season, with Martinez enjoying a three-goal lead in the Capocannoniere race.

While Thuram has recently netted six times over his last five league outings, Lazio’s standout performer is Gustav Isaksen, who has scored just five goals throughout the season.

Trailing him with four, veteran winger Pedro notably scored twice against Inter around this time last year, effectively costing them the title.

Both players are competing against several others for a place in the starting lineup, as Boulaye Dia and Tijjani Noslin found the back of the net last week, while Matteo Cancellieri is back from suspension and captain Mattia Zaccagni has recently returned.

With key defender Mario Gila and playmaker Nicolo Rovella also approaching fitness, only first and third choice goalkeepers Ivan Provedel and Alessio Furlanetto are confirmed to be absent.

Lazio probable starting XI:

Motta; Marusic, Romagnoli, Proxgaard, Tavares; Basic, Patrick, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni

Inter Milan probable starting XI:

J. Martinez; Bisseck, Acerbi, Augusto; Dumfries, Frattesi, Zielinski, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez

Neither team will want to push too hard in this match, which comes on the heels of Inter’s crowning as Serie A champions and right before next week’s cup final.

Therefore, a draw seems the most probable outcome, setting the stage for a much more significant encounter at Stadio Olimpico four days later.