Inter Milan vs Brescia Preview

The last two Inter Milan games have been quite extraordinary, but the next fixture against Brescia should be much smoother.

The newly promoted side from Lombardy is in the midst of a horrid stretch of form, with 13 games without a win. Brescia is undefeated since the season restarted, however, with draws against Fiorentina and Genoa to its name. In both, Brescia was lucky to get a point and outplayed rather evidently, so although it’s not in free fall at the moment, it’s not exactly bursting with momentum either.

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All that those points were able to accomplish was to bring Brescia level with SPAL in last, on 18 points. There are 7 points separating Brescia form safety, but it is showing no signs of closing that divide. I Biancazzurri are home to the 2nd worst defense and 3rd worst attack in the league, so it’s position in the table is justified. As for what Brescia is good at, well…

Outside of Sandro Tonali and Mario Balotelli, Brescia does not have much quality. Balotelli is not even welcome in the training ground, so no need to worry about him. Rather, the Italian is currently suing his club for reasons too complicated to get into now. As one would expect, he’s not going to be taking any part in Brescia’s ventures on the pitch with that going on. Balotelli’s production was mediocre, though, so he’s not a huge loss for Diego Lopez’s side.

Predicted Starting XIs

Notes

• Lukaku had little impact in the Parma game, and has played in all 3 Serie A games so far. Clearly, it’s time to rest the Belgian, so Alexis Sanchez will likely rotate in.
• Skriniar remains out, but I don’t think Godin can be trusted with a starting spot anymore so Ranocchia looks to start.

Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Soccrates/Getty Images

The referee for this one is Gianluca Manganiello, who has only overseen one Inter game so far, the 1-1 draw with Cagliari. You may remember Lautaro Martínez receiving a straight red card late in the game after violently questioning Magnaniello’s decision making. That was neither Inter nor Magnaniello’s best game, as there were a few iffy calls from the official.

Prediction

2-0 Inter. Inter has a great chance to rebuild morale and create momentum with only 10 games left in the season. Even if Brescia isn’t the biggest test in the world, a simple and dominant victory would only help a team that has not looked sure of itself of late. One player who could really benefit is Lautaro Martínez. He may enjoy his chances of finding his way back onto the scoresheet for the 2nd time in 10 games against a leaky Brescia back line.

It must be said that Brescia will be very determined in this match, considering how vital any number of points are if it wants to remain in the top flight next season. Inter should be prepared to have patience when trying to break down its opponents, but in the end the Nerrazurri should earn all three points.