High-flying Cesena boosted their survival hopes with back to back wins over Bari and Bologna, with the Cavallucci Marini now looking to shock Inter and make a giant step towards survival. The Neroazzurri climbed to second as they beat Lazio at home, but there is no doubt they face an uphill task at Dino Manuzzi.

Cesena continue to impress

From the very start of the season Cesena showed that they have the quality to survive the Serie A campaign and the team managed to recover even from the very poor run of results on the turn of the year. The Cavallucci Marini entered the final stage of the season from the relegation zone, but impressive victories over Chievo, Sampdoria, Bari and Bologna, together with draws against Parma, Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo saw Massimo Ficcadenti’s side climb out of the bottom three and they are now two points clear of the relegation zone. The players are brimming with confidence after picking up 8 points from last 4 league games and there is no doubt they will try to beat Inter and thus ensure their Serie A status. Having scored at least two goals in five of their last seven games, Cesena look likely to score against out-of-form Inter, although their back line faces a tough task against Eto’o, Sneijder and Pazzini.

Striker Erjon Bogdani misses out with an ankle problem, while Giuseppe Colucci is banned. Ivan Fatic and Felipe are out injured.

Inter slowly recovering

The run of four defeats in five games during the crucial stage of the season saw Inter drop out from the Champions League and lose all chances to defend the Serie A title, but the Neroazzurri have managed to show some improvement of late. They made a giant step towards the Coppa Italia final having beaten Roma away from home before beating Lazio in Serie A to ensure Champions League qualification. Being eight points adrift of rivals Milan, Inter are unlikely to return to the title race, but having climbed to second place they will be looking to stay there come end of the season. Everybody at the club are looking to end the season on a high following numerous disappointments and the victory over in-form Cesena would help keep the spirits high before the Coppa Italia final stage. With both sides looking for a win at Dino Manuzzi, we are likely to see a very open game.

Luca Castelazzi will start in goal for the suspended Julio Cesar, while Ivan Cordoba, Thiago Motta and Dejan Stankovic continue to miss out. Wesley Sneijder should start after recovering from injury.

Verdict

Cesena have shown on numerous occasions this season that they are not afraid to attack even the best sides in Serie A and being high on confidence at the moment, the Cavallucci Marini are expected to continue the great scoring run. With Inter also looking for a victory, over 2.5 goals looks like the obvious choice.

Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 1.91 (10/11)

Bookmaker: William Hill