Prediction: Inter Milan vs Torino

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: 888sport

Inter Milan will play host to Torino at the San Siro on Monday evening in what will the the last match of the 32nd round of the 2019/20 Serie A season.

Inter Milan

Having invested heavily into their team last summer, the Nerazzurri have been close to the top of the table throughout the campaign. However, their failure to win either of their last two games has seen them overtaken by both Lazio and Atalanta, and defending champions Juventus have now moved 11 points ahead of them, with a total of 76. Lazio in second have 68, Atalanta are next with 67, and then come Inter with 65, albeit with a game in hand on all of them. There doesn’t appear to be any need for concern when it comes to Champions League qualification, as AS Roma in fifth have racked up only 56.

Inter’s recent league form hasn’t been too bad with three wins, two draws and just one defeat from the last six outings, but it has to get better immediately if they are to rejoin the title race; that much is clear. Since football came back in Italy, they beat Sampdoria, drew with Sassuolo, beat Parma and Brescia, and then lost at home to Bologna and drew away to Hellas Verona.

Team News

Coach Antonio Conte will be without the services of midfielders Nicolo Barrella and Stefano Sensi, as well as wide man Victor Moses, who are all out injured.

It will, however, be interesting to see if he puts Alexis Sanchez into the starting XI over Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian striker finding the opposition net just once in his last five games.

Torino

Their 3-1 win over Brescia last time around was massively important and has seen Torino pull away from the relegation zone, but there is still work to be done for them before breathing a sigh of relief. Sitting in 15th place with 34 points, there is a seven-point gap between them and Genoa who top the zone in 18th. Sampdoria with 32 and Lecce with 28 are squeezed in between, and there is a lot be fought for in the remaining six rounds after this one.

Torino’s recent form has not been worse than you’d expect from a relegation threatened side. Indeed, with two wins and a draw from their last six outings, it has perhaps been even slight better than that, but it still includes three defeats. They restarted the campaign with a draw against Parma and improved on that by beating Udinese, but then came defeats at the hands of Cagliari, Lazio and Juventus, before the already mentioned win over Brescia.

Team News

Moreno Longo in the away dugout won’t be able to call upon striker Simone Zaza through suspension, and that is certainly a serious blow to their hopes of causing an upset in Milan. There has been, however, a piece of good news as well with defender Armando Izzo available and ready to play following a ban of his own.

Conclusion

Looking at it from any angle, this game is an absolute must-win for Inter if they have any intention of keeping their title hopes alive. No team in such a position can afford to drop points at home against an opponent battling relegation at any point in the season, let alone right now, so near the end, when the gap they’re seeking to close down stands at 11 points. Yes, the game will be played behind closed doors which takes away some of the advantages of playing at home, but given the vast difference in quality between the teams, it really shouldn’t affect the final result too much.

The odds on Conte’s team winning should perhaps be shorter than the 4/9 provided by 888sport, but there you have it.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: 888sport