Inter Milan v Atalanta – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Inter Milan welcomes Atalanta to the San Siro on Tuesday night in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. These sides are separated by just two points in Serie A. The visitors have scored 22 goals in six matches since the World Cup break, whilst Inter have beaten Napoli and AC Milan since the resumption. Their last meeting saw a 3-2 win for Inter in Bergamo in November.

Inter Milan Form

Simone Inzaghi’s side have been very inconsistent of late. After the World Cup break, they beat table-toppers Napoli 1-0 in a fine defensive display. And 17 days later, they thrashed AC Milan 3-0 to lift the Supercoppa Italiana. In between those two huge results, they drew 2-2 at Monza in Serie A and needed extra time to beat Parma 2-1 in the Coppa Italia.

A 1-0 home win against Verona preceded the thrashing of Milan before a shock 1-0 home loss to Empoli after a red card for Milan Skriniar in the 40th minute. In their last match, Inter won 2-1 at Cremonese with Lautaro Martinez scoring a brace. They dominated the match with 30 shots, 22 of those inside the opposition box.

Inter Milan Team News

Marcelo Brozovic is a major doubt for this match as he makes his way back from a thigh injury. Roberto Gagliardini replaced him in the last match but Nicolò Barella is back from a suspension and could play in the holding role.

Edin Dzeko is set to play up front alongside Lautaro Martinez in preference to the out-of-form Romelu Lukaku. Milan Skriniar was red-carded against Empoli so Matteo Darmian covers at right centre back. The latter may start again with PSG trying to get Skriniar in January having already agreed on a free transfer with the player for June.

Inter Milan Motivation

Inter played their best XI in the last round against Serie B side, Parma. Simone Inzaghi is expected to take this match just as seriously and go all out to reach the semi-finals.

Even with a Milan derby over the weekend, full attention will be on this match.

Atalanta Form

The Orobici went into the World Cup in really poor form with four losses in their final five Serie A matches and just 27 points from 15 matches. They’ve been on fire since the resumption, taking 11 points from five league matches and scoring at least eight Serie A goals more than any other side in that period.  

After a 2-2 draw at Spezia, they won 2-1 at Bologna. A crazy 8-2 home win against Salernitana followed with seven different goalscorers. They then thrashed Spezia 5-2 in the last round of the Coppa Italia. A 3-3 thriller followed at Juventus as their goalscoring showed no signs of slowing down. Over the weekend, they beat Sampdoria 2-0 with 21 shots and 62% possession.

Atalanta Team News

Gian Piero Gasperini is without Davide Zappacosta due to injury at right wingback. Hans Hateboer will play in that role once again. Centre back Giorgio Scalvini is doubtful after a knock against Sampdoria so Merih Demiral is on standby to start.

The side is pretty settled otherwise with Ademola Lookman on fire down the right. He has scored 12 Serie A goals, 31% of Atalanta’s total. Danish teenager Rasmus Hojulund started the last match but faces competition from Duvan Zapata for his spot after the latter’s sub outing over the weekend.

Atalanta Motivation

Simply put, Atalanta will attack. Gasperini’s side have been throwing bodies forward and are scoring freely. They will go all out to win this match with the weekend trip to Sassuolo, not a distraction.

Whether losing or leading, La Dea will keep attacking. They have some very decent forward-thinking subs like Luis Muriel and Mario Pasalic if they need to chase the game.

Key Stats

Inter have won 12 of their last 14 home matches in Serie A

Inter Milan have conceded in 6 of their last 8 Serie A matches

Atalanta have scored 22 goals in their last 6 matches

Atalanta’s Lookman has scored 12 Serie A goals this season

Two of the last 3 meetings between these sides have seen Over 3.5 goals

Atalanta have scored 2+ goals in 5 of their last 6 away Serie A fixtures

Verdict

This match promises to be very entertaining, with goals galore perhaps in the offing. Inter have been good in the big matches of late whilst Atalanta have tended to lose to the top sides in Serie A. I am backing there to be over 3.5 goals in this one.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.60
Alternate Bet: Over 3.5 goals at 2.70
Multiplier Leg: Inter Milan/Draw double chance + over 2.5 goals at 2.30

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis