Serie A: Inter Need Victory over Verona to Keep Title Hopes Alive

Inter Milan vs Hellas Verona

Inter Milan’s quest to reinsert themselves into the Serie A title race took a significant blow as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Monza after a late Denzel Dumfries own goal.

Simone Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri cannot afford another setback and must come away with all three points when they host relegation-threatened Verona at the San Siro.

The Gialloblu got a much-needed three points themselves after beating Cremonese to climb out of the bottom of the Serie A standings.

But the Serie A 2023 betting odds will be stacked heavily against them at the San Siro as they take on an Inter side with a suddenly back-in-form Lautaro Martinez.

Talking Points

Lautaro returning to form for Inter

Inter thought they had brought themselves back into the Scudetto race after beating leaders Napoli 1-0 at home in their first game back from the break.

However, the Nerazzurri negated that fantastic result in their very next match as they could only draw 2-2 with newly promoted Monza. A Denzel Dumfries own goal in stoppage time saw them drop crucial points as Inter’s three-match winning run came to an end.

But the good news for Inter was that Lautaro Martinez finally ended his extended goal drought. Including his goalless World Cup run with Argentina, Lautaro had failed to score in each of his last eight appearances for club and country before he struck against Monza. Lautaro also came close to scoring another when he hit the woodwork.

And Lautaro carried over that good form to Inter’s midweek Coppa Italia win over Parma. He scored Inter’s equaliser two minutes from time, and Francesco Acerbi scored the winner in extra-time as the Nerazzurri won 2-1 to move on to the quarter-finals.

Lautaro’s return to form is a promising development for Inter, who have missed his goals. Edin Dzeko is also in fine goalscoring form with four goals in his last five appearances.

However, Romelu Lukaku remains woefully off the pace and continues to have little impact. The Belgian started the big game against Napoli, but Lautaro is likely to partner Dzeko against Verona.

Meanwhile, midfielder Marcelo Brozovic may make his return after missing the last few matches with a calf injury. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has filled in for Brozovic in the last two games, but having the Croatian back will be a huge boost to the Inter midfield.

Inter have a fantastic home record this season. They have won seven of their eight Serie A matches at San Siro, with 20 goals scored and just four conceded. Their only setback came in a 2-1 defeat to Roma back in October.

Verona improving under new boss

Verona made their way out of the bottom of the Serie A standings with a crucial 2-0 win over Cremonese, who are now rock-bottom as they remain winless in 17 games.

The Gialloblu got off to a horrendous start to the season under Gabriele Cioffi and it continued under caretaker Salvatore Bocchetti. But their Serie A 2023 results have finally started to improve under new coach Marco Zaffaroni. He is unbeaten in his first two games in charge after drawing 1-1 with Torino on his debut and beating Cremonese.

Darko Lazovic has been instrumental in Verona’s resurgence. The 32-year-old Serb has attempted a total of eight shots over the last two games. Moreover, he has played a part in their last three goals as he set up their opener against Torino and bagged a brace against Cremonese.

Top centre-forward Kevin Lasagna remains out due to injury, so Milan Djuric may continue to deputise against Inter. The 32-year-old Bosnian scored their goal against Torino and has four shots in the last two games.

History

Inter have completely and utterly dominated Verona over the years. They are unbeaten in their last 14 Serie A meetings against the Gialloblu, with 11 wins and 3 draws. They did the double over the Mastiffs, winning 3-1 away and 2-0 at home.

Although, Verona did give Inter a good fight at the Marcantonio Bentegodi as Inter needed two late Joaquin Correa goal to secure the win.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP odds have installed Inter Milan as massive 1.27 favourites to get the win at San Siro. Verona are priced at 9.75, while a draw is 5.40.

While Veron have shown signs of improvement of late, taking on Inter at the San Siro will be a massive step up in competition from Torino and Cremonese.

Inter have been absolutely dominant at home this season, and with Lautaro back among the goals, look for the Nerazzurri to have no problems against visiting Verona.

 

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