Inter Milan vs. Sampdoria: Preview, how to watch & live match thread

With the start of the UEFA Champions league officially behind us, it is time to focus back on league play for Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri have to regain focus as they have slipped up multiple times in the first four games of the Serie A season.

The game against Parma left a bitter taste in most Nerazzurri fans mouths. A late strike from Federico Dimarco (a loanee from Inter) gave Parma all the spoils. Inter seemed to dominate the game up until the match winner in the 79th minute. After that, the Nerazzurri could not find their feet back in the game.

Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

Sampdoria come into this game with a 2-1-1 record good for fourth place in Serie A. They have played two matches at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris and have come away with four points against Napoli and Fiorentina. Pretty impressive results early on at home and cannot be taken lightly by the Nerazzurri.

This lines up to be a tough game for Inter to go on the road and try to steal all the points. On paper the Nerazzurri are the more talented side but results in the league have shown anything but that.

For team news, Inter’s line up should be shaken up a bit from the midweek fixture. This will be the Nerazzurri’s third match in seven days in the midst of a 23 day stretch where they play seven games. Getting players rest will be a crucial part of Luciano Spalletti’s game plan. I would expect the team to go back to the 4-2-3-1 formation with players playing in their expected positions. Milan Skriniar was forced into playing right back during the Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur and should be back at Centre back if starting.

There are many questions about how Inter will line up for this game. Mauro Icardi could feature as the lone striker but it could also be Keita Balde to get the nod. The three attacking midfielders will be picked from Matteo Politano, Ivan Perisic, Radja Naingollan, Antonio Candreva, and Lautaro Martinez.

The first three all started against Tottenham so I would expect some changes. The double pivot will probably end up being Roberto Gagliardini alongside Marcelo Brozovic as the former was not included in the Champions League squad. The back four will probably feature Dalbert Henrigue, two of Skriniar, Joao Miranda, Stefan De Vrij, Andrea Rannochia, and Danilo D’Ambrosio on the right. Sime Vrsaljko got left off the match day squad as he is still dealing with an injury.

Look for Sampdoria to line up in a 4-4-2 with Fabio Quagliarella and Gregoire Defrel up top. In four games, the pair have combined for six goals so look for them to reek havoc early and often. Expect Albin Ekdal to get the nod at the 6 while Gianluca Caprari gets the start above him. Look for Edgar Barreto and Koral Linetty to get the start on the outside of the midfield. Joachim Andersen and Lorenzo Tonelli has been Marco Giampaolo’s go to center back pairing. They both started midweek so you could also see Omar Colley getting in the XI. Nicola Murru and Bartosz Bereszynski are the outside backs Giampaolo mainly go to. Murru has started every game so Jacopo Sala could get some time over him in this one.

Overall, I think this one will end in a draw 1-1. Both teams are coming off a short week and will not have their best XI out there. Inter are coming in high on the UCL victory and hopefully Spalletti has the boys ready to go. A midweek draw against Fiorentina is nothing to look down upon either as Sampdoria. They will look to strengthen their start to the campaign and beating Inter would most certainly do that.

Match Info

Date & Time: September 22, 2018, 8:30 p.m. CEST (2:30 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast)

Location: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa.

TV/Streaming: If you live in the United States you can follow the game on ESPN+, while Italian viewers will find it on Sky Go Italia, DAZN Italy, or SportItalia.

For those in the UK, you can find the game on Eleven Sports 2 UK.

Click below to find out where you can watch the match in other countries around the world.

https://www.livesoccertv.com/match/3071917/sampdoria-vs-internazionale/

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