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

Let’s be honest. Over the last few weeks, Inter Milan have been given gifts in its race for a spot in next year’s Champions League.

But, while Roma and Lazio have been trying very hard to give the Nerazzurri a top four place, Inter has done its best to basically say ‘we aren’t interested.’

For Inter Milan match reports, click here.

This past weekend, Roma and Lazio battled to a 0-0 draw in the capital derby but Inter had already drawn with Atalanta and failed to gain in ground in the race. As a result, Roma and Lazio remain one point ahead of Inter for the last Champions League spots.

“We’re not happy with the draw, we’re Inter and we want to win every match,” said Inter Milan defender Davide Santon, on the club’s website. “We’re in the running and we’ll fight [sic] until the final match of the season.”

And, with five match days remaining, Inter is running out of chances to make up that ground.

Enter in Cagliari.

The Rossoblu will be Inter Milan’s midweek opponent tomorrow and, again, the Nerazzurri have a chance to move up in the table and come closer to securing European football next year.

As it stands now, Inter and cross-town rival AC Milan are sitting comfortably in Europa League positions next year – Inter is fifth on 60 points while AC Milan is sixth with 53 points. Fiorentina is seventh with 41 points.

But, let’s be honest. All of our hopes and dreams rest on qualifying for Champions League. While Europa League is nice, it just isn’t the same.

Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images

Cagliari is coming off a 2-1 win at Udinese over the weekend, but they have won two of their last six and are just five points above the relegation zone.

Needless to say, this match presents a great opportunity to get three points and potentially move up in the standings as Roma hosts Genoa and Lazio travels to Fiorentina – both matches on Wednesday. But, Inter has failed to score in its last three matches, presenting an offensive problem for head coach Luciano Spalletti.

Against Atalanta, Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi never seemed to get clearance in the final third of the field and was ineffective.

“In a match such as this, it’s difficult to get the ball up to Icardi cleanly and he needs to drop and play with the rest of the team, passing it around with his teammates,” Spalletti said, after the draw in Bergamo.

Inter will have Marcelo Brozovic back in the lineup after he served a one-game suspension for too many yellow cards. The status of fellow midfielder Matias Vecino is still unknown. The former Fiorentina man has been suffering from an injury and sat out against Atalanta.

In their win over Udinese, Cagliari got goals from forward Leonardo Pavoletti and . midfielder Luca Ceppatelli. Pavoletti leads the team with nine goals on the season while Nicolo Barella and Joao Pedro each have six. Pedro, however, is out on a doping ban.

Match Info

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 17, 2018; 8:45 p.m. CEST (2:45 p.m. on the East Coast)

Location: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Milan, 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, Brozovic

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

Questionable: Vecino

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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