Inter Milan will return to Serie A action on Saturday night, as they aim to make up lost ground in the league by beating struggling Sampdoria at home with kickoff at 9:45 pm.
After taking four points from Barcelona in Champions League Group C, Inter reached the competition’s knockout stage for a second year in succession by beating pointless Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday.
Inter forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring at San Siro and then Edin Dzeko scored twice before Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to score after several weeks out injured.
A recent resurgence has seen Inter claim five wins and a draw since being beaten by Roma at the start of the month, as they attempt to recover from a sluggish start to the season which leaves them outside Italy’s top six.
Sampdoria have not enjoyed much success in their last 20 trips to face Inter at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, but one man is hoping to buck that trend.
New Samp coach Dejan Stankovic is no stranger to success at Meazza, as he played a part in Inter’s memorable treble triumph back in 2010.
Already, the former Serbia midfielder seems to be making an impact on his downtrodden charges, as they bounced back from defeat against Roma to progress via penalties in the Coppa Italia and post a first Serie A win of the season on Monday.
Inter Milan vs. Sampdoria Head to Head
Both sides have 30 games against each other with hosts taking 17 wins while the visitors with six wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Inter 4-0 Viktoria Plzen
- Fiorentina 3-2 Inter
- Inter 2-0 Salernitana
- Barcelona 3-3 Inter
Away
- Cremonese 0-1 Sampdoria
- Sampdoria 2-2 Sampdoria
- Sampdoria 0-1 Roma
- Bologna 1-1 Sampdoria
Inter Milan Team News
Romelu Lukaku should be involved as a substitute again on Saturday, while Joaquin Correa, Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko start up front. Martinez has attempted the most shots (43) and shots on target (15) in Serie A this season, also featuring in four goals in his last two league games.
Sampdoria Team News
Winks’ Serie A debut remains on hold, while Murillo joins the midfielder on the visitors’ absence list this weekend. Goalkeeper Audero won praise from his manager for a sterling display in keeping a crucial clean sheet against Cremonese and starts behind a back four featuring captain Bereszynski at right-back.
Prediction and Odds
It is likely that a home win will occur, as Lukaku’s return to the squad coincides with Martinez’s recent hot streak.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
