Inter go into the game on the back of the morale-boosting victory in Derby della Madonnina, whereas Genoa are looking to create another upset after the 3:2 victory over Udinese.

Claudio Ranieri needed some time to stabilize the team after Gian Piero Gasperini had completely torn the side apart, and the derby win over Milan shows how much progress Inter have made from the start to the season.

The Neroazzurri entered the derby game on the back of a five-match winning run, and even if they were on the back foot throughout the game, they managed to record an invaluable victory.

Inter thus closed the gap behind Milan to just five points, so we can now safely say that Claudio Ranieri’s side are back in the title race.

The experienced boss will use the Coppa Italia game against Genoa to rest his star players and give his fringe players a chance to shine, so odds of 1.44 (4/9) offered by Paddy Power on home win don’t look too tempting.

Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlan are likely to start as they try to build some match fitness, whereas Dejan Stankovic is the only unavailable player at the moment.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-1-2): Castellazzi – Zanetti, Cordoba, Rannochia, Chivu – Faraoni, Obi, Poli – Sneijder – Forlan, Zarate.

Genoa have been showing some promise this season, but the Rossoblu have been too inconsistent to make their good showings count.

Boss Alberto Malesani was sacked after the 6:1 defeat to Napoli, and even if his replacement Pasquale Marino kick-off with a 3:0 loss at Cagliari, the new coach managed to mastermind an impressive 3:2 victory over Udinese in the very next round.

The victory over the Zebrette not only helped the players restore some of the lost confidence, but also saw Genoa climb to the 8th place in the standings, closing the gap behind 4th-placed Napoli to just four points.

While the Serie A campaign remains the priority, Pasquale Marino is likely to field a very strong side at Meazza, as he is desperate to keep the players’ spirits high before the trip to Palermo.

Midfielder Alexander Merkel was loaned to Milan, so he is not in contention, but Marco Rossi is available despite seeing red against Udinese.

Alberto Gilardino is in contention after recovering from a minor knock, but Kaladze, Antonelli, Bovo and Dainelli remain sidelined.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Frey – Mesto, Granqvist, Rossi, Constant – Kucka, Veloso, Biondini – Jankovic, Gilardino, Palacio.