Roma v Inter Milan – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Roma faces Inter Milan in Serie A on Sunday. Inter has won their last three matches against the Giallorossi and boasts the league’s top scorer, Marcus Thuram. AS Roma has won just two of their nine matches this season in all competitions.

Roma Form

After three draws and a defeat in their first four matches this season, Roma fired Daniele De Rossi. New coach Ivan Juric oversaw a 3-0 home win over Udinese in his first match in charge. A 1-1 home draw followed against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League, where they conceded an 85th-minute equalizer.

A 2-1 home win over Venezia saw Roma trailing 1-0 after 74 minutes. They controlled 69% of possession and had 22 shots in that victory. A shock 1-0 loss followed in Sweden against IF Elfsborg, despite Roma having 75% possession and outshooting their opponents 23-6. Before the international break, they were held to a 1-1 draw away at Monza.

Roma Team News

Stephan El Shaarawy went off injured in the last match and is a doubt for this one. Nicola Zalewski is on standby to cover the left flank. Mats Hummels is expected to miss out in defense due to injury.

Paulo Dybala is another possible absentee but may recover from a muscle issue to start. Alexis Saelemaekers has an ankle problem and is also likely to miss this match. Striker Artem Dovbyk is doubtful, which would be a significant loss after scoring four goals in his first nine matches since joining Roma.

Roma Motivation

Since the coaching change, AS Roma has been dominating possession, trying to play on the front foot but missing many chances.

A draw here would end their losing streak against Inter and be seen as a positive result.

Inter Form

Inter won just five of their last 10 Serie A matches last season, finishing with 94 points. They drew two of their first four league matches this season, followed by a respectable 0-0 draw at Manchester City, where they conceded 22 shots and 60% possession.

A surprising 2-1 loss in the derby against AC Milan came next, as they allowed 1.70 xG and 16 shots. Simone Inzaghi’s team responded with three consecutive wins. They won 3-2 at Udinese and thrashed Red Star Belgrade 4-0 in the Champions League. Their most recent match saw a 3-2 home win against Torino, where they played against ten men for 70 minutes and created 29 chances with 80% possession.

Inter Team News

Inter hopes to have Nicolò Barella available after he missed the wins over Udinese and Torino. He is expected to return to the starting XI. Davide Frattesi is the most likely candidate to drop to the bench.

Piotr Zielinski is out injured, as is wing-back Tajon Buchanan. Denzel Dumfries and Benjamin Pavard could remain on the bench.

Inter Motivation

Inter will be fully focused on this big match. Their trip to face Young Boys in midweek could see some heavy rotation.

Expect them to aim for dominance in the game but to use fast transitions through the pace of Thuram when leading.

Key Stats

Inter Milan has scored 9 goals in their last 3 matches.

Inter Milan has won just 9 of their last 17 Serie A matches (2 losses, 6 draws).

Inter’s Marcus Thuram has 7 goals in 7 Serie A matches this season.

AS Roma has won just 2 of their last 9 matches.

Roma has lost 7 of their last 8 matches against Inter Milan.

Verdict

In their current form, Inter looks far superior to Roma. They should win this match with Thuram likely to be on the scoresheet. A victory by more than one goal is likely.

Best Bet: Inter Milan to win at 1.83

Value Bet: Inter Milan win (-1 handicap) at 3.05

Goalscorer Tip: Marcus Thuram to score anytime at 2.50