Inter looking to leapfrog early league-leaders Juventus.
Inter vs
Atalanta
Inter Milan and Atalanta clash at San Siro this Friday at 19:45 [GMT+1], where Inter looks to maintain momentum from their recent win and potentially leapfrog Juventus, while Atalanta aims to bounce back after a tough loss to Torino.
Inter
Inter Milan moved into second place on the table after last weekend’s 2-0 win over Lecce. A header from Matteo Darmian right after kickoff had Inter in the lead.
Midway through the second half, Marcus Thuram won a penalty for the Nerazzurri. None other than Hakan Çalhanoğlu stepped forward to convert from the penalty spot, reaching a personal milestone of converting 17 penalties in 17 attempts. This is the longest streak recorded in Serie A since the data became available in 2005/06.
That win left Inter with four points (1W, 1D, 0L), alongside five others, while they sit two points below Juventus (2W, 0D, 0L), the only side in Serie A with two opening wins. With Juventus facing Roma this weekend, Inter could seize the opportunity to leapfrog the Old Lady.
However, a fixture against Atalanta will certainly not be a walk in the park, despite their 11-game unbeaten run against the visitors (6W, 5D, 0L). Preparations were in full swing during the week, with the likes of Lautaro Martínez seen in training.
The 27-year-old forward won't be fit to start against Atalanta. Lautaro Martínez failed to make Inzaghi’s matchday squad against Lecce but is expected to make a cameo this Friday. A 3-5-2 formation with Mehdi Taremi and Marcus Thuram in attack is expected.
Atalanta
Atalanta are coming off the back of a 2-1 loss after surrendering a one-goal lead against Torino last weekend at the Grande Torino. La Dea are already reaping the rewards of their €22 million signing from Genoa after the new arrival Mateo Retegui [26’] bagged his third goal in two games to put them in front. However, two goals from Torino, with the second being a maiden goal from Che Adams [50'], left the Goddess without a point after Mario Pašalić missed from the penalty spot inside stoppage time.
Atalanta are currently in 8th place with three points before Match Day 3 [1W, 0D, 1L]. While a defeat on Friday would see Atalanta slip further down the rankings, it would also leave the Goddess with two defeats in three opening Serie A games for the first time since 2017-18.
Last weekend’s 3—4—2—1 formation is expected to remain in place with Mateo Retegui leading the attack. Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini are both ruled out by a plague of ACL injuries. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Rui Patrício and Juan Cuadrado recently became additions to Gasperini’s side. In other transfer activities, Teun Koopmeiners made the switch to Juventus.
