Inter Milan Aims for Consecutive Serie A Victories Against Lombardy Rivals Atalanta BC
Reigning champions Inter Milan are set to chase their second consecutive Serie A win this Friday as they host Lombardy rivals Atalanta BC at the iconic San Siro stadium.
After a shaky start in their 2024-25 season opener, Inter Milan bounced back with a victory over Lecce last week. The Nerazzurri capitalized on a missed last-minute penalty by Atalanta in Turin. Inter Milan, determined to assert their dominance after a 2-2 draw against Genoa earlier this month, were keen to secure their first win of the season when they faced Lecce in Milan last weekend.
Matteo Darmian put Inter ahead with a goal just five minutes into the match, and Hakan Calhanoglu sealed the victory by scoring from the penalty spot, marking his 17th consecutive successful conversion in Serie A.
Inter’s routine 2-0 victory not only kept their 12-year streak of avoiding defeat in their first home fixture but also extended their winning run at home in each of the last six seasons.
With a relatively favorable start to their season, Simone Inzaghi’s team now faces one of their toughest challenges yet, in their final match before the international break. The champions remained unbeaten against all of their top-five rivals last season, and Inzaghi will aim to continue that trend, starting with Friday night’s clash against Atalanta.
Recent encounters favor Inter Milan, as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Atalanta when the two clubs met at San Siro last season, with Darmian also scoring in that match. Inter last lost a league game to Atalanta back in 2018 and have since remained undefeated in their last 11 Serie A meetings with the Bergamo club.
Despite Atalanta’s struggles against Inter, the Bergamaschi continue to impress both domestically and in Europe. Last season, they secured another top-five finish in Serie A and won their first-ever European trophy.
Under the guidance of Gian Piero Gasperini, who once had a brief, unsuccessful stint as Inter’s head coach, Atalanta triumphed in the Europa League. However, a challenging summer transfer window has tempered hopes of a strong start to the new campaign.
With key players like Teun Koopmeiners and Ademola Lookman seeking transfers and other vital members sidelined due to injury, Atalanta managed to kick off their Serie A season with a 4-0 win over Lecce. However, they faltered last week, missing a stoppage-time penalty that would have secured a 2-2 draw with Torino.
Now, Atalanta must face another away fixture while renovations continue at their Gewiss Stadium—arguably their toughest challenge yet.
Team News and Possible Lineups
Inter Milan
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi may still be without captain Lautaro Martinez, who is struggling with a muscular issue. Martinez, last season’s Capocannoniere, remains hopeful of making the bench. Meanwhile, former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, who started against Lecce, is expected to retain his spot alongside Marcus Thuram in the attack. Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij has returned to full training and could be on the bench alongside summer signing Piotr Zielinski. However, Tajon Buchanan remains sidelined with a leg injury.
Inter Milan Predicted Starting XI: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Taremi
Atalanta BC
Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini faces several squad challenges, with Teun Koopmeiners set to join Juventus and Ademola Lookman awaiting a possible transfer. Key players like Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca are long-term absentees, and Sead Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker are unavailable this weekend. Despite these setbacks, Atalanta has bolstered their squad with the arrival of experienced players Rui Patricio and Juan Cuadrado. New signing Raoul Bellanova will compete with Davide Zappacosta for the wing-back position.
Atalanta BC Predicted Starting XI: Carnesecchi; De Roon, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Brescianini, De Ketelaere; Retegui
Match Prediction
Inter Milan are expected to leverage their home advantage and recent form to secure a narrow victory over Atalanta BC. Despite Atalanta’s resilience, Inter’s firepower and depth could see them edge out their rivals in what promises to be a closely contested match.
Predicted Score: Inter Milan 3-1 Atalanta BC
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