Serie A Sunday programme closes with a bang as the Italian powerhouses Inter Milan and Roma collide in the pick of a week. Both sides have been in rather fine form of late and this promises to be a gem of a game.

Inter still have long way to go

Their current form has been reassuring, but Inter Milan have achieved nothing yet, as head coach Stefano Pioli warned the other day. Nerazzurri are coming off from a rich vein of form which saw them record nine wins in last ten Serie A matches. As a result, Inter Milan managed to climb to the fourth place in Serie A standings with their sights set on breaking into the top three and clinching the UEFA Champions League slot. Six points behind high-flying Napoli might not seem like a big gap to go over and there is no doubt that a win over Roma would provide a massive boost to Inter’s ambition of succeeding in their plans. A winning run has influenced the team’s self-confidence and Inter finally seem to be on the right path towards full recovery. Lead by captain Mauro Icardi who has so far bagged 15 goals and provided eight assists, Nerazzurri were delighted to see their summer recruit Gabriel Barbosa – commonly known as Gabigol – finally getting off the mark in a 1-0 win over Bologna at the weekend.

Stefano Pioli will be without suspended defender Miranda, who is serving his yellow card suspension, whereas there is a huge probability he will also have to do without Jeison Murillo, and Geoffrey Kondogbia, who are out through thigh injury and illness, respectively. In addition, Marcelo Brozovic is yet to recover from his toe fracture.

Romans on the run

The 1-0 defeat to Villarreal in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Last-32 brought little disappointment for Roma as the Serie A heavyweights have previously secured a 4-0 win away in Spain, which saw them go through 4-1 on aggregate. The midweek match allowed Luciano Spalletti to rest some of his first-team stars such as Edin Dzeko and save them for the big challenge that lies ahead in the Serie A.  Villarreal defeat was Roma’s first after the series of five straight triumphs and Giallorossi are determined to get back to the winning ways as they look to keep pace behind Juventus at the top of the standings. Roma are trailing seven points behind the reigning champions and are not losing hope, but winning at Inter is a must if Spalletti’s men are to remain in the running. Heading into the game in the city of Milano, Roma will have to be extra careful, knowing they lost their last two trips to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

The visitors will have no major selection issues as Alessandro Florenzi remains the only notable first-team absentee. Youngster Emanuele Spinozzi is another name on the injury list for Roma.

Verdict

Games between Inter and Roma are the football highlights of every season and we do expect to see a highly-contested affair, filled with excitement. Both teams are on the good run and we expect them to give their best to win, which can leave plenty of room on both ends of the pitch.

Top pick: Both teams to score – yes   1.57 (4/7) @10Bet

Alternative pick 1: Roma   2.80 (9/5) @Bet365

Alternative pick 2: Draw no Bet – Roma   2.00 (1/1) @Betvictor