Inter Milan v Atalanta – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Inter Milan host Atalanta at the San Siro on Friday night. Inter have won the last five clashes between the clubs and finished 25 points ahead of the Europa League winners from Bergamo last season.

Inter Milan Form

Internazionale had an incredible 2023-24 Serie A season, losing just twice on the way to 94 points and the Scudetto title. A 14-match winning streak in all competitions was ended by a 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid in March. Simone Inzaghi’s team dropped points in five of their final 10 Serie A matches.

In May, they lost 1-0 at Sassuolo, won 5-0 at Frosinone and ended the season with two draws. This season began with a surprise 2-2 draw at Genoa as the champions conceded in the 95th minute. Inter bounced back to win Lecce 2-0 last Saturday with 2.42 xG and 61% possession.

Inter Milan Team News

Inter will hope to have captain and top scorer Lautaro Martinez available after an injury. He missed the win vs Lecce with 32-year-old Iran striker Mehdi Taremi deputising alongside Marcus Thuram.

Stefan de Vrij and Tajon Buchanan are both set to miss out. There is a clean bill of health otherwise. Denzel Dumfries could be on the bench again. Newly signed Monza wingback Carlos Augusto is set to feature as a substitute.

Inter Milan Motivation

Inter have had a slight dip of late with just six wins in their last 12 league matches. They will be determined to take three points here.

This match tends to see goals, so expect the hosts to play on the front foot but to be wary of Atalanta’s fast breaks.

Atalanta Form

Atalanta won the Europa League last season, their first trophy in 61 years. They went into that final on a run of a run of seven wins in nine matches with just one defeat. A sublime 3-0 win vs Bayer Leverkusen saw Ademola Lookman score twice. They finished their Serie A season with a 3-0 win vs Torino and a 3-2 home defeat to Fiorentina.

This season began with losing the UEFA Super Cup 2-0 to Real Madrid before a 4-0 win away at Lecce. Last Saturday, Atalanta lost 2-1 away to Torino having led 1-0. They had 25 shots and put up 3.14 xG but also allowed their opponents 2.38 Expected Goals.

Atalanta Team News

Coach Gian Piero Gasperini has had a difficult summer window. The club signed players like Ben Godfrey from Everton and Nicolo Zaniolo from Aston Villa. However, Teun Koopmeiners has been sold to Juventus for big money.

Charles De Ketelaere was acquired permanently from AC Milan. He is set to play up front as Gianluca Scamacca is out long-term with a knee injury. Key defender Rafael Toloi and versatile Sead Kolasinac are both ruled out. forward Ademola Lookman will return after sitting out due to transfer rumours.

Atalanta Motivation

Gasperini’s side have a poor record in this fixture and would probably see a draw as a great result.

The return of Lookman is a boost and will give the side more pace on the break.

Key Stats

Inter Milan have won just 6 of their last 12 Serie A matches (1 loss, 5 draws)

Inter Milan have won their last 5 clashes vs Atalanta (13 goals scored)

Atalanta have lost 3 of their last 4 matches

Atalanta have won 4 of their last 5 away Serie A matches

Atalanta have scored in 11 of their last 12 away league matches (exception: 4-0 loss vs Inter Milan)

Verdict

This match should see both sides on target. Inter have the edge in the head-to-head and should take the victory on Friday.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.64
Alternate Bet: Inter Milan win and both to score at 3.05
Goalscorer Tip: Lautaro Martinez to score anytime at 2.10