Inter Milan vs Fiorentina: Match Preview

Inter’s up and down March (with far more downs than ups unfortunately) is finally a thing of the past, and the Nerazzurri now move into the penultimate month of the season with everything left to play for, from a spot in the Champions League semifinals to merely qualifying for next season’s edition, as well as a Coppa Italia. The 9-game marathon that is April begins with a visit from Fiorentina to the Guiseppe Meazza.

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Back-to-back losses going into the international break to Spezia and Juventus did not cost Simone Inzaghi his job as some rumors spectulated, so for better or worse it appears as though he’ll be in charge for the remainder of the season. With so many games in so little time, a coaching change is almost undoable - unless things go really wrong which is entirely possible! It’s time for him and the players to figure it out - “it” being the general malaise that has afflicted Inter since 2023 began. Inzaghi needs to find a way to reignite Inter and get the best out of his players. One such player is Romelu Lukaku, who just scored a hattrick for Belgium on international duty and yet can barely put a shot on target for Inter. He’s certainly not the only big player on Inter that’s far removed from their best form, and if Inter wants to survive April, it’s going to need Lautaro, Brozovic, and Barella to pick up their game, just to name a few.

A victory against Fiorentina, the perfect trap game on paper, would be a great way to get that started and move Inter’s campaign for the top four along. As of now, the Nerazzurri sit in 3rd on 50 points, 3 ahead of 5th place Roma. That could all change very soon, however, with Juventus’ appeal against its 15-point deduction to be decided in mid-April. The odds are that the Bianconeri will regain its lost points and subsequently jump comfortably into second place - making the battle for the final 2 spots all the tighter between Milan, Inter, Roma, and Lazio.

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Fiorentina has struggled in Serie A in Vincenzo Italiano’s second season in charge. The Viola finished 7th and booked a spot in the UEFA Conference League in his first, but the effects of playing European football with a roster used to one game a week are showing. Fiorentina is 9th on 37 points, and much of that is thanks to a four game winning streak since late February which removed the Viola from the lower depths of midtable but still won’t be enough for a European spot. Fiorentina will instead put its eggs in cup competitions as it hunts for a first trophy since 2001. Italiano’s side is still alive in both the Conference League (quarterfinals) and Coppa Italia (semifinals) and will be putting full focus on its upcoming knockout clashes with Lech Poznan and Juventus, respectively.

The Viola generally play Italiano’s beloved possession heavy 4-3-3, though the arrival of Antonin Barak (7 goals, 1 assist) from Verona has seen a 4-2-3-1 be put into play here and there. Inter will also have to watch out for in-form Arthur Cabral, who leads Fiorentina’s goalscoring charts with 11 strikes. He shares that throne will Luka Jovic, but the latter has struggled to find consistency and most of his goals have come weaker opposition.

Previous Results

Inter has a 77W-58D-49L advantage in the all time series against the Viola, including a wild 4-3 victory for the good guys back on October 22nd in Tuscany.

Predicted Starting XI’s

Prediction: Inter Milan 2-1 Fiorentina

It won’t be a vintage performance but Inter will get the job done against Italiano’s side thanks to goals from Lautaro and Lukaku, but a Cabral strike will make things interesting.

Forza Inter!