Serie A newcomers Palermo are still on the lookout for the first triumph of the season, but the task of ending the barren run against in-form Inter could prove very difficult. The Nerazzurri are flying high at the moment and they will fancy their chances of winning at Renzo Barbera.

Panic buys

Everyone was surprised to see Palermo start the new season without having seriously reinforced the squad, and while they did make a number of signings in the dying moments of the summer transfer window, the Rosanero haven’t done such a good job. While star striker Abel Hernandez was allowed to join Hull City, in came Sol Bamba, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Emerson, Simon Makienok and Joao Silva, hardly players of Serie A quality. Therefore, nobody was surprised to see Palermo start the season poorly, with 3-0 Coppa Italia defeat to Modena at home just a sign of things to come. While they couldn’t hold on to a one-goal lead against Sampdoria despite having an extra man on the pitch for almost an hour, Palermo were also defeated by Hellas Verona in spite of taking the lead, which clearly shows there is a lack of confidence at Renzo Barbera at the moment. And with the lack of quality and Serie A experience more than obvious, I just cannot see how they are going to match a very good Inter side that have finally started playing to their potential.

Important players Francesco Della Rocca, Ezequiel Munoz, Giancarlo Gonalez and Enzo Maresca are all out injured, whilst Achraf Lazaar is doubtful.

Things falling into place

Even if things did not go exactly according to plan last season, Walter Mazzarri was allowed to continue the squad rebuilding process and the club chiefs are now being rewarded for their confidence in the highly rated coach. The former Napoli boss wasn’t able to recruit all the players he wanted due to financial restraints, but the likes of Vidic, Medel, M’Vila, Osvaldo and Dodo have seriously improved the quality of the squad. The most important thing is that Mazzarri seems to have found the perfect balance in the side, as witnessed by the fact that Inter did not concede a single goal in the five competitive fixtures this season. This allowed the Nerazzurri to record three wins in the Europa League, while holding Torino to a goalless draw on the road and again hammering Sassuolo 7-0. Inter players are obviously high on confidence at the moment as well as determined to keep the current run going as long as possible, and the visitors clearly look hot favourites to defeat out-of-sorts Palermo at Renzo Barbera.

Mateo Kovacic might miss out with a calf problem, with Yuto Nagatomo the only other injury doubt. Gary Medel and few other players will be recalled after they were rested in midweek.

Verdict

Palermo clearly lack the quality to play at this level and with four important players on the sidelines, they seem destined for another defeat. Inter already appear to be on top of their game and seeing as how they are also yet to concede a goal this season, they can be trusted to win while keeping another clean sheet.

Top pick: Away win   2.00 (1/1) @ bet365

Alternative pick 1: Inter to win to nil   3.50 (5/2) @ SkyBet

Alternative pick 2: Inter/Inter   3.40 (12/5) @ BetVictor