Monday night brings another piece of action in the Serie A as both Inter and Fiorentina look to shake off their midweek Europa League hangovers. Nerazzurri have suffered an embarrassing defeat at Be’er Sheva and the pressure keeps piling up on the fallen Italian giants.

Disappointing Inter

Managerial change has failed to bring desired results so far at Inter as Stefano Pioli struggled to gain his footing with the Nerazzurri. The Italian giants continue to stumble and fall down the unprecedented depths as they went on to record the underwhelming 3-2 defeat to Be’er Sheva at Turner Stadium on Thursday night. Inter new boos Stefano Pioli was critical of his side following the embarrassing performance, slamming the mentality of his team which managed to fall behind to a 3-2 defeat despite the 2-0 lead in the game. Mauro Icardi opened the scoring after 12 minutes with Marcelo Brozovic soon adding the second goal for Pioli’s side, but Inter ultimately lost control of the game. Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic was sent off after conceding a penalty which was the crucial moment in the game which cost Inter their European place. Turning their focus back to the Serie A, Inter face a daunting task against tough Fiorentina as they look to record just second win in last five matches across all competitions.

Davide Santon and Gary Medel are both suffering from knee problems and will not be able to feature in the Monday night’s match. Eloge Yao, Ionut Radu and Rodrigo Palacio have also been ruled out through their respective injuries.

European Viola

Unlike they Monday rivals Inter, Fiorentina have managed to extend their European dream past the group stage of the UEFA Europa League despite losing to PAOK on Thursday. The Viola fought bravely to get back from going 2-0 down, hitting the frame of the goal on several occasions but were ultimately unlucky to concede the third in dying moments of the game and lose it 3-2 in front the disappointed fans. Fiorentina are topping their group and will only need a point from the final match with Qarabag to seal qualification. Defeat to PAOK was Fiorentina’s first in last nine matches and Paulo Sousa’s men will be keen to get back to winning ways and secure a great morale boost with a win at Inter. Nerazzurri target Federico Bernardeschi will be the man to watch on Monday night as the Italian forward has become such a potent power for Viola this season. A move to left-wing has allowed the promising Italian to flourish by scoring 4 goals in as many games for Fiorentina.  Boasting a tally of seven goals in total thus far in the 2016-17 season across all competitions, Bernardeschi is expected to be especially motivated to show his true colours against the club that have already shown plenty of interest for the player.

Paulo Sousa is happy to report a clean bill of health as Fiorentina have no selection worries ahead of such a big game. Hernan Toledo is the only name on the injury list, but the Argentine midfielder is yet to register a minute of competitive action and will not be missed on Monday night.

Verdict

Both Inter and Fiorentina are coming from Europa League defeats and will be keen to get back on track with a win. Inter are experiencing all sorts of troubles this season and the appointment of Stefano Pioli has not been the shock therapy the club hoped for. Viola will attempt to exploit the current situation and inflict another huge blow to Nerazzurri and record their fifth straight win over Inter.

Top Pick: Away win   4.00 (3/1) @BetVictor

Alternative Pick 1: Both teams to score – yes   1.70 (21/20) @Bet365

Alternative Pick 2: Fiorentina/Fiorentina   6.50 (11/2) @PaddyPower