Empoli’s impressive run came to an end as they were beaten by Sampdoria at Marassi, and the Azzurri are now bracing themselves for the visit of revived Inter. The Nerazzurri continued the rich vein of form by defeating high-flying Genoa, and they will fancy their chances of winning at Stadio Carlo Castellani.

Eight-match unbeaten run ends

Operating on a tight budget, Empoli were unable to seriously reinforce the squad upon gaining promotion to Serie A, although they did sign a number of players on free transfers or loan deals. However, it was evident the team lacked the quality to play at this level, with the Azzurri winning just one of first ten league matches. Maurizio Sarri’s charges then managed to find their feet and recorded several very good results in a row to climb above the bottom three, but they are now winless in last five matches and back in the danger zone. The run of four successive draws ended as Empoli were beaten on the road by Sampdoria, and with games against Inter, Roma (Coppa Italia) and Udinese next, it will be very difficult for the Azzurri to return to winning ways. Coach Maurizio Sarri has experienced all sorts of problems in the attacking department, with his side managing just one goal in last four fixtures and no doubt they face a difficult task against Inter Milan, a team that have seriously upped their game of late. With two important players missing, Empoli will have a mountain to climb when they host the Nerazzurri.

Important defender Mario Rui is suspended, whilst midfielder Tiberio Guarente misses out through a knee problem.

New winds blowing at Meazza

Having spent several years on the fringes of Italian Serie A, Inter Milan are expected to return to where they belong with a help from ambitious chairman Erick Thohir, and there have indeed been plenty of reason for optimism at the Giuseppe Meazza of late. While Roberto Mancini returned to the place of his managerial success, world-class attackers Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri were added to the ranks, while few more quality players are expected to follow. As a result, Inter have been showing a great deal of promise of late, beating Chievo on the road, before sharing spoils with Lazio and Juventus. The 3-1 victory over high-flying Genoa saw the Nerazzurri close the gap behind Champions League positions to six points and the game against struggling Empoli will feel as a perfect opportunity to further improve their top 3 hopes. With Lukas Podolski slotting straight into the starting line-up and Rodrigo Palacio back to his scoring ways, Inter can be trusted to continue the good scoring run, while their back line shouldn’t have too many problems with misfiring Empoli.

Nemanja Vidic will continue to deputize for suspended Juan Jesus, whereas Yuto Nagatomo (international duty) and Jonathan (knee) remain unavailable.

Verdict

Empoli did really well to avoid defeat in eight successive matches, but with their good run now over and the team struggling up front, the game against in-form Inter definitely comes at a bad time. The Nerazzurri have shown a massive improvement over the last month or so and they can be trusted to win at Stadio Carlo Castellani.

Top pick: Away win   2.20 (6/5) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 1: Empoli not to score   2.75 (7/4) @ Coral

Alternative pick 2: Inter to win to nil   3.80 (14/5) @ BetVictor