Now that derby defeat has prevented the Nerazzurri from going to the top of Serie A, they will get back into action when they travel to face Udinese on Saturday.
This week Inter lost the old rivalry AC Milan while their hosts had their thirteen matches undefeated streak stopped in Rome.
Ensconced in pursuit of their seventh consecutive victory over their city counterparts, league holders inter Milan traveled to San Siro to face what is currently a struggling Milan side only to be ‘rewarded’ by a clear and unequivocal rout that not only rendered the nerazzurri second best on home soil but slid them down the table to the shocking third.
However, the traditional first encounter of the season between the two thoroughbreds, Derby della Madonnina did not go down well for the Nerazzurri, as the Rossoneri went on to score the opening goal - equalized by Federico Dimarco, a die-hard Inter fan – and then regained the lead right at the end.
A painful defeat at home at the hands of the Roman derby left Simone Inzaghi’s squad in the seventh position on eight points, and they also lost their first match of the 2024-25 season.
Inter have failed to secure a victory in their last 3 games, including the convincing Champions League point earned against Manchester City : such has been the level that the team boasts lately, that a sequence without victory hasn’t been recorded since April 2023.
However, the Nerazzurri have not tasted victory on the road this term and the side has only managed to draw their first three away fixtures in all competitions, therefore some expectation will rightly be on the head of Inzaghi to deliver a first away triumph of the season this weekend.
Specifically, Inter have but not been beaten in each of their last eleven league encounters in Udine – triumphing in eight of them – and as such one feels that we should be seeing this team achieving a similar, if not superior, tally.
In the last league encounter between both teams, Udinese have lost six of the last seven – shipping 19 goals in the process and currently giving up 2.7 goals per game on average – with the only victory from that sequence happening more than two years ago, and that was on their home ground.
This time around, however, the Fruilani will have a unique opportunity to look down on their famous guests in the Serie A standings, as they are in third position with 10 points, only one behind Torino, the surprising leaders.
Although Kosta Runjaic's team fell to Roma 3-0 at Stadio Olimpico last weekend, it was their first loss of the season and they might have been in first place themselves.
That put an abrupt end to a nine-game Serie A winning streak, but three days later, they showed no signs of weakness as they defeated Salernitana 3-1 to secure a spot in the Coppa Italia's round of sixteen, despite starting a significantly altered squad.
Udinese have already won all four of their home games this season, including two cup ties. The team may be confident that an unreliable Inter side is ready for an upset.
Nicolo Barella's thigh injury will necessitate one midfield change; Piotr Zielinski or Davide Frattesi should fill in this weekend; Zielinski, incidentally, has four goals versus Udinese since leaving his initial Serie A club more than ten years ago.
The only definite absence for the hosts is Alexis Sanchez, the former star of Inter, who hasn't played a minute since coming back to Udine this summer.
Martin Payero, a midfielder, and Lautaro Giannetti, a center defender, are both hoping to recover from minor ailments in order to join the matchday roster.
After Inter's poor performance in the derby, Simone Inzaghi is anticipated to make changes to his starting lineup. Former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi is at the top of a group of players trying to advance off the bench.
If the Iran international makes a comeback to the starting lineup, Lautaro Martinez, the captain, who has yet to open his account for the season and has only scored once in his past 15 club outings, would either have to make way for Marcus Thuram.After making many changes in midweek, Kosta Runjaic will go back to his strongest lineup. Florian Thauvin, who has contributed directly to four goals from five league games this season, will be reinstated up front with Lorenzo Lucca.
