Atalanta vs. Inter Milan: Match preview, ways to watch and live match thread

The last time out against Atalanta, Inter Milan needed a brace in the second half from Mauro Icardi to get a win over the Orobici at the San Siro.

This time around, the Nerazzurri desperately need points to climb back up into a Champions League position as they sit one point back of both Roma and Lazio for the fourth and final spot.

Last week, Inter didn’t do itself any favors, dropping a 1-0 decision at Torino.

“The result against Torino certainly wasn’t positive, also because the team didn’t deserve it considering how they worked. We played the game that we had to play, we looked to play in their half and we did so at times but not so much at other points,” said Inter head coach Luciano Spalletti, in his pre-match news conference. “But, if you don’t keep a good balance and you leave a way open through the middle, you can concede from counterattacks when there’s lots of space. We conceded the goal at the moment when we were on top.”

For Atalanta, they sit in ninth position in the league after a 1-1 draw with SPAL last week. Atalanta are still in a position to challenge for a spot in the Europa League – just four points back of sixth-place AC Milan. But, Atalanta has earned just seven points in their last five matches.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

While Inter Milan will be without the services of an injured Matias Vecino and yellow-card plagued Marcelo Brozovic, Atalanta will not have Andrea Petagna who was suspended after picking up too many yellow cards. La Dea will also not have Leonardo Spinazzola who will be out with a knee injury.

It will be up to goalkeeper Etrit Berisha to stave off Inter’s attack. He has nine clean sheets following his return from Lazio on loan – however only three of those have come in the last nine matches since Atalanta was bounced from the Europa League thanks to a 4-3 aggregate win by Borussia Dortmund.

Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

This will mark the third away contest for Inter – including a 0-0 draw with AC Milan in the second installment of the Derby della Madonnina two weeks ago. The Nerazzurri have struggled on the road, being blanked by Torino, AC Milan and Genoa in their last four road encounters. The bright spot in all of that was a 5-0 thrashing of Sampdoria on March 18.

The bottom line is that Inter need a win here to gain momentum heading into matches with Cagliari and Chievo in the next two weeks. Following that, the Nerazzurri will host league-leading Juventus before closing out the regular season at Udinese, at home with Sassuolo and on the road at Lazio.

With Lazio and Roma playing each other Sunday, a win for Inter would do wonders for their placement for the Champions League.

Match Info

Date & Time: Saturday, April 14, 2018; 8:45 p.m. CEST (2:45 p.m. on the East Coast)

Location: Stadio Azzurri d’Italia (Bergamo, Italy)

TV/Streaming: In the U.S., the game will be shown on beIN Sports Connect, Rai Italia America and iGol. In the United Kingdom, the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Live. Click here to find out where you can watch the match everywhere else in the world.

Inter Matchday Squad

Goalkeepers: Handanovic, Padelli, Berni

Defenders: Lisandro Lopez, Cancelo, Ranocchia, Santon, Miranda, Dalbert, D’Ambrosio, Skriniar

Midfielders: Gagliardini, Rafinha, Borja Valero, Emmers, Zaniolo

Forwards: Icardi, Karamoh, Eder, Perisic, Candreva, Pinamonti

Out: Vecino, Brozovic

Match Thread Rules

There are only three rules: don’t be hateful, don’t disrespect anyone else’s opinion and enjoy the game!

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