What: Italian Serie A
Who: Inter vs Roma
When: Saturday 17th September, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Giuseppe Meazza Stadium (San Siro), Milan, Italy
Still Thinking of Mourinho
The Nerazzurri have begun the new Serie A season with a great many problems, and these are piling up for new coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who is trying to impose a new formation on his side, a 3-4-3. Inter fans are still dreaming of Jose Mourinho’s 2009/10 Treble-winning campaign, after which both Rafael Benitez and Leonardo failed to convince president Massimo Moratti that they were the perfect successor to the Portuguese – could Gasperini suffer the same fate?
Inter lost the first match of the Serie A campaign at Palermo (4-3) and Gasperini’s three-man defensive line looked weak and vulnerable. Throughout the 90 minutes Walter Samuel and Lucio were pulled out of position, due to Javier Zanetti and Japanese full back Yuto Nagatomo struggling to keep their attacking instincts in check.
The day after the game in Sicily, Moratti convinced Gasperini to reintroduce a four-man backline and place Wesley Sneijder and Giampaolo Pazzini in the starting eleven. Inter surprisingly lost their Champions League opener away to Trabzonspor too. And now Gasperini looks undermined as well as in danger.
Some Way Short of a Barcelona Clone
Roma have more troubles than Inter, if that is possible. New owner Thomas DiBenedetto brought in a fresh face in the dugout, Spaniard Luis Enrique, with the clear goal of creating a “Barcelona clone” in the Italian capital – Enrique’s last job was in charge of Barcelona B.
Presently Roma look very much like a team in transition and the Giallorossi failed miserably in the preliminary round of the Europa League against minnows Slovan Bratislava. The club’s first Serie A game was no better, with a home defeat to Cagliari in which Enrique’s side were poor and lacked spark.
Enrique faces a tough task at the Stadio Olimpico, and his job did not get easier when, in August, he clashed with Francesco Totti, the undisputable King of Rome.
Recent form
Inter:
Inter 2-2 Olympiacos (21/08; Friendly)
Palermo 4-3 Inter (11/09; Serie A)
Inter 0-1 Trabzonspor (14/09; Champions League
Roma:
Slovan Bratislava 1-0 Roma (18/08; Europa League)
Roma 1-1 Slovan Bratislava (25/08; Europa League)
Roma 1-2 Cagliari (11/09; Serie A)
Key absences
Inter: none
Roma: Jose Angel Valdes ( suspended)
Players to watch
Inter – Giampaolo Pazzini: Both Claudio Prandelii (Italy coach) and Gasperini do not usually play Pazzini in their respective starting elevens. The Inter boss excluded Pazzini at Palermo, but the former Sampdoria forward is one of the best goalscorers in Italian football and will be at the centre of the attack against the Giallorossi.
Roma – Marco Borriello: The former AC Milan forward arrived in Rome last summer, but did not make the desired impact. This season, Enrique prefers to play with Bojan Krkic, Erik Lamela or Fabio Borini up front, but Borriello remains a key option for the Giallorossi. It could prove a good idea for Roma’s Spanish boss to field Borriello in Milan.
Match Prediction
It may only be September and just a single game into the Serie A season, but both sides are desperate to win here. Inter cannot afford to drop another three points, while Roma must send out a signal that they are title contenders.
Both have defensive issues to address and this game could well be a goal-packed affair, with the respective attacks prevailing over the defences. Inter look likely to play Sneijder behind Pazzini and Forlan, and Roma should play Borriello in front of Francesco Totti. Inter 3-1 Roma.
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