Inter Milan vs Roma
Inter Milan appear to have third place all locked up. They’re five points clear of crosstown rivals AC Milan with just six games left in the Serie A season.
Meanwhile, fifth-placed Roma are engaged in a fierce battle with Milan, who recently got a big win against Lazio, for that final Champions League place.
Inter can do their rivals a big favour by slowing down Roma when they meet this weekend. But the Giallorossi appear to be getting their act together at the back and have a habit of being a thorn on Inter’s side when they visit the San Siro.
Talking Points
Impact of Icardi’s return
It’s been three games since Mauro Icardi returned to the line-up following a lengthy absence, and he’s made quite an impact on Inter’s Serie A 2019 results.
Icardi registered a goal and an assist in his first game back as Inter beat Genoa, 4-0. They then drew 0-0 at home against high-flying Atalanta, which is a positive result. And Icardi had an assist and should’ve scored at least another goal last time out in Inter’s 3-1 win against Frosinone.
It’s just a fact that Inter are a better team with Icardi on the field. The Argentine is arguably their best player, and his mere presence attracts so much attention from opposing defences.
Inter do have decent attacking talent from midfield, with the likes of Roberto Gagliardini, Matias Vecino, Radja Nainggolan, and Ivan Perisic capable of chipping in with goals. And with Icardi around, they have a bit more room to operate and support in attack.
Inter haven’t scored in their last three home games, two of which were without Icardi. But with Icardi finally back, Inter’s chances of snapping that goal drought against Roma should increase significantly.
Icardi scored in Inter’s 2-2 draw against Roma in their first meeting this season back in December. He’s now scored four goals in his last four games against the Giallorossi.
Roma turning a corner?
It was a rocky first few games for manager Claudio Ranieri in his second stint at Roma. After winning his first game against Empoli, Roma then proceeded to lose to newly-promoted SPAL and got thrashed 4-1 by Napoli at home.
They also drew 2-2 at home against Fiorentina, which isn’t a great result considering Fiorentina’s recent struggles.
But Roma have finally shown some signs of improvement lately. They’ve scored back-to-back 1-0 wins over Sampdoria away and Udinese at home, which have done their Serie A 2019 odds of claiming fourth a lot of good.
It’s the first time Roma have kept back-to-back clean sheets in Serie A, which is indicative of just how porous they’ve been at the back all season.
Ranieri is renowned for his ability to organise his teams’ defence. While he was unable to save Fulham this season, his exploits in leading Leicester City to the most improbable Premier League title ever will go down in history.
However, Roma suffered a big blow after Daniele De Rossi had to go off due to injury against Udinese. The Roma captain will almost surely miss the Inter clash, and possibly even the rest of the season.
De Rossi’s leadership will be a big loss, especially at the back. It remains to be seen if Roma can continue their renewed solidity without their captain at the San Siro.
History
The recent history between Roma and Inter has been pretty evenly matched. Over their last 10 Serie A meetings, each team has won three times, with four draws.
Inter haven’t beaten Roma in their last two meetings at the San Siro. In fact, Inter have had a lot of problems over the years when Roma have visited. They’ve won just three of their last 13 meetings at home, with five Roma wins, and five draws.
Betting Tip
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Inter Milan vs AS Roma | AS Roma 1X2 @ 4.20 |
| April 21, 02:30 (GMT+8) |
This is quite a tough match to call. While both Inter and Roma have had some promising performances of late, they have not exactly been able to maintain much consistency. However, there’s a decent case to made for Roma getting the win.
For one, they have had a good deal of success over the past few years against Inter at the San Siro. Moreover, Inter’s recent home form has been very shaky; they’ve won two, lost two, and drawn two of their last six at the San Siro. Roma are also the more motivated of the two as they chase that final Champions League spot.
SBOBET odds have a Roma win priced at 4.20, which would net quite a handsome return if Claudio Ranieri’s side can continue its winning run.
| A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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