Verona – Inter : Preview & Prediction
Verona’s renaissance in Serie A (SA) continued on Sunday when they came from a goal down to earn a crucial point (1-1) against Cremonese. An unbeaten run of four games (G2, E2) has them level with Spezia, but still in the relegation zone due to poor results in the history between the two. As such, coach Marco Zaffaroni warned that “there is no time to enjoy anything” as the end of the season approaches.
Goals remain a concern for the home side, with only three clubs having scored fewer than Verona’s 27 before this matchday. However, a return home could be good news. The Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi has seen the hosts win five of their last eight home games (E2, P1) and score 11 goals during the sequence, isolating them from their general dearth of goals.
A win in this clash would be historic, as Inter Milan have not lost a SA clash to Verona since February 1992 (G19, E4) and are in the midst of an uphill battle to finish the campaign in the top four in the standings. Simone Inzaghi’s men may have rediscovered form at the right time with three straight wins, extended by a 3-1 victory over Lazio on Sunday, a result Inzaghi praised as a “brilliant performance” that took them back into the top four in the standings.
Continuing that winning momentum will be critical as Inter have important games on the horizon — against Roma in the league and against bitter rivals AC Milan in the Champions League. Improving their away form would be useful, as the “nerazzurri” have won just one of their last five SA clashes on rival soil (E2, P2). With both defeats seeing the decisive goal come from the 75th min onwards, the visitors will have to be wary of suffering complacency late in the game.
Players to watch: Simone Verdi has scored each of Verona’s last three goals and has seen his last two personal contributions (G1, A1) in 1-1 draws. On a similar upward performance scale, Lautaro Martinez has scored three of Inter’s last four league goals and has also scored in three of his last four games against this opponent.
Key stat: Verona have conceded 11 goals in SA (24% of their total) from the 80th minute onwards.
Verona – Inter : Betting Tips
Inter – Win Odds: 1.75
