Inter Milan vs. Carpi Match Preview: No false steps allowed

Match Facts

Date: Sunday, January 24th, 2016

Time: 09:00 am ET/ 15:00 CET

Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza; Milan, Italy

So many things happened in the past week. The win against Napoli. The ensuing controversies regarding Sarri's words and Mancini's rant in the post-match interview. The Guarin deal which may or may not go through. Too many things which could divert the focus of the squad from the match that will take place this Sunday against Carpi; a match which is important for Inter to keep up with the teams with more points than them.

The Biancorossi shouldn't be a tough team to beat, especially when they play away from home. They currently are the third-worst team of the Serie A, having collected just 17 points in 20 games. Of those 17 points, they earned just 5 playing away from their stadium and they have a -14 goal differential, with only one win, when playing at their opponent's home.

This Tuesday, when playing against Napoli, Mancini fielded an offensive and efficient 4231 squad which is one of the best solutions with the players he has. Kondogbia and Medel had more freedom to move in the midfield, Ljajic and Jovetic were able to operate at the center of the field without other teammates closing their spaces, while Biabiany and Perisic only had to take care of the wings, running like they love to do. For me, this is the best formation for Inter, because it brings out the best out of every player and makes them feel confident of their abilities.

I hope Mancio uses the 4231 again, and it seems like he is going to, even if he didn't gave any hint during his pre-game press conference earlier today. It will be particularly interesting to see how he decides to manage the situations of Kondogbia, Miranda, Medel and Melo who are all within a yellow card of missing out on a potential appearance in the Derby next Sunday. Every Inter fan is also anxious to see if Mancio wants to try to pair Jojo and Maurito up-front again, a partnership that has not given the expected results yet, but the two of them could begin to click very soon, especially if they get some more time together on the pitch.

Projected Lineups

Inter Milan: Handanovic; D'Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Telles; Medel, Kondogbia; Perisic, Jovetic, Ljajic; Icardi;

Carpi: Belec; Zaccardo, Romagnoli, Suagher; Pasciuti, Crimi, Bianco, Lollo, Letizia; Di Gaudio, Mbakogu;

How to Watch

TV: beIN Sports (U.S. & Canada), Sky Calcio 1, Premium Calcio 1 (Italy)

Online: Fubo TV, beIN Sports Connect (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go Italia (Italy)