Three days after beating Lazio 2-0 in the Coppa Italia final to seal a domestic double, Inter return to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza for Serie A’s penultimate round. Cristian Chivu’s side arrive in a mood few Italian clubs get to enjoy, sitting 15 points clear at the top of the table with their title and Champions League place long secured. The visitors, Hellas Verona, arrive in a starkly different place: 19th in the table with 20 points from 36 games, already condemned to Serie B regardless of what happens on Sunday.
What’s at stake
Inter’s title was wrapped up weeks ago and their Champions League berth is secure. With 85 points from 36 matches, they sit 15 points ahead of second-placed Napoli (70 pts) and 17 clear of third-placed Juventus (68 pts). These final two league fixtures are effectively a lap of honour, a chance to push their points tally and goals-scored column (85 for, 31 against across the season) before the summer. For Hellas Verona, the mathematics are equally settled, just in the opposite direction. Sitting on 20 points with a 3-11-22 record, they are adrift of safety by a distance no two-game run can close. Their fate was sealed well before this trip to Milan.
A win for Inter would add to what has already been a historic week for the club. According to AP News, Sunday’s Coppa Italia final was described as sealing ‘a long-awaited double’, and another convincing home performance would give Chivu’s squad a platform to finish the season at the top of their statistical game. For Verona, the remaining fixtures offer little more than the chance to exit the top flight with some dignity, and perhaps to give fringe players minutes ahead of a likely rebuild in the second division.
How they got here
Inter’s last five outings read W-W-W-D-W across all competitions: a 2-0 Coppa Italia final win over Lazio, a 3-0 Serie A win at Lazio, a 2-0 home victory over Parma, a 2-2 draw at Torino, and a 3-2 Coppa Italia semi-final win over Como. The Guardian noted that the double ‘was never a given’ despite Inter’s dominance, but the results speak clearly enough. Hellas Verona’s recent form tells a grimmer story: L-D-D-L-L, with their last five producing a 0-1 home defeat to Como, a 1-1 draw at Juventus, a 0-0 draw with Lecce, a 0-1 home loss to AC Milan, and a 1-2 defeat at Torino. They have scored just once in their last four league matches.
The contrast in the standings is stark. Inter lead Serie A on 85 points; Verona are 19th on 20 points, 65 points behind and 11 points adrift of 18th-place Cremonese (31 pts). The gap to safety with two games left is unbridgeable.
Key battle to watch
With the pressure off Inter entirely, the interesting subplot is whether Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram can add to their respective Serie A tallies of 17 and 13 goals. Verona have conceded 58 league goals this season, the worst defensive record in the division alongside their relegation companions, and they arrive having scored just 24 times all campaign. Inter’s front two will fancy their chances of extending those numbers against a defence that has been consistently porous. The question is less whether Inter will create chances and more whether Chivu opts to rotate heavily given the Coppa Italia final came only three days ago.
Key Stats
Our Prediction
The head-to-head record is about as one-sided as it gets: Inter have won nine of the last ten meetings, including a 5-0 drubbing at Verona in November 2024. With a double already secured, some rotation is possible, but the squad depth at Chivu’s disposal is considerable, and Verona’s defensive numbers this season offer little reason to expect anything other than a comfortable home win. Expect Inter to control possession, test Verona early, and coast through what is effectively a celebration fixture.