With three consecutive defeats under their belt, Inter Milan will be under great pressure to turn things around this weekend in Serie A. It will be easier said than done, however, knowing that Nerazzurri are playing host to red-hot Lazio.

Are Inter Milan losing pace in Scudetto race?

The fallen giants of the Italian football have been waiting to get back to glory days for long seven years. And with the financial injection from the new owners, it was believed that Inter Milan will finally get back into contention for major honours. The very arrival of high-profile manager Luciano Spalletti was more than enough to shake things up after another disappointing campaign and a highly positive start to the 2017/18 campaign brought back a smile on every fan’s face.

Without a defeat in 16 rounds of Serie A, Nerazzurri had been leading the line in a fiercely competitive competition the Italian league once again became this season but now appear to be losing the rhythm following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Udinese and Sassuolo, respectively. And just to rub some more salt into Inter Milan’s wound, the midweek Derby della Madonnina brought a fresh disappointment as Inter Milan suffered a quarter-final elimination with Patrick Cutrone’s 104^th-minute winner. Inter Milan have managed to score just once during their last four matches and will need to rediscover their form if they want to get back in the race.

Danilo D’Ambrosio is still unavailable due to his knee injury, while the same issue is troubling Zinho Vanheusden who wouldn’t have been selected anyway knowing that the 18-year-old is yet to make a first-team appearance this season.

Lazio’s big break?

Simone Inzaghi’s men are once again defying the odds with their impressive Serie A results that keep them in the loop for a top-four finish and European football again next year. Lazio are a group of young talented stars mixed with experienced footballers in a close-to-perfect combination which has thus far produced some remarkable results.

Lazio topped the Europa League Group K and will head into the next stage of the competition with plenty of confidence. At the same time, fine domestic results have seen them put plenty of pressure on top-four teams. Biancocelesti are currently sitting in fifth, trailing fourth-placed AS Roma by two and their next rivals Inter Milan by four points. A win in the city of Milano would further complicate the situation at the top and that’s exactly what Lazio hope will happen after the Saturday’s clash. Lazio travel to Milano in high spirits following consecutive wins over Crotone and Fiorentina, respectively, and will hope to make it three out of three for the perfect Christmas and New Year present. In-form midfield star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will once again be the one to watch, following an assist to Lulic’s winning goal vs Fiorentina this week.

Federico Marchetti is suspended once again, whereas Brazilian Mauricio is likely to miss the game through injury. Italian forward Davide Di Gennaro is also on the injury list.

Verdict

Inter Milan are struggling in the scoring department and seem to have lost their cutting edge with only one goal scored in their last four matches. On the other side, Lazio have managed consecutive clean sheets and will once again hope to keep their net still.

Top pick: Both teams to score – No   2.70 (17/10) @BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Under 2.5 goals   2.20 (6/5) @188Bet

Alternative pick 2: Lazio   3.25 (9/4) @Betfair