Three days after shutting out Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 in the Champions League, Inter return to league action carrying real confidence and a place to defend at the top of Serie A. Cristian Chivu’s side sit second with 19 points, three behind leaders Lazio, and a home win on Sunday would keep the pressure on both Lazio and a Roma side breathing down their necks on 18 points. Fiorentina arrive at the other end of the table, flagged for relegation after just one win in seven Serie A games and a 1-3 home defeat to Como six days ago that has done nothing to ease the mood around the club.
What’s at stake
Inter are second in Serie A on 19 points from seven games, one point ahead of AS Roma and three behind Lazio, who have played a game more. Como sit fourth on 17 points, which means the gap between Inter and the Champions League places is comfortable for now but by no means secure. A win today extends their buffer and keeps Chivu’s team in position to chase Lazio through the autumn.
For Fiorentina the picture is more pressing. Fabio Grosso’s side have 4 points from seven games, one win and one draw against five defeats, with a goal difference of minus 9. They currently sit 18th, inside the relegation zone, and a trip to face a side that has beaten them 3-0 in the corresponding league fixture last season is as difficult an assignment as the calendar could have produced at this stage. Three points for Inter would be routine business in a title chase; three points for Fiorentina would represent a genuine turning point.
How they got here
Inter’s last five competitive outings read W-W-L-W-W. The lone blemish was a 3-4 home loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League on October 13, but they bounced back immediately with a 3-1 win at Bologna in Serie A four days later before adding Tuesday’s clean sheet against Shakhtar. The Nerazzurri have scored 21 league goals and conceded 9 in seven games, and Marcus Thuram leads their Serie A scoring with 4 goals. Fiorentina’s last five, by contrast, read L-L-D-W-L. Their only Serie A points came from a draw with Napoli and a win at Venezia in September. Since then they have lost at Genoa and at home to Como, shipping 5 goals across those two defeats.
In the table, Inter are one of only two sides inside the top four with a game in hand on most rivals, which adds weight to Sunday’s fixture. Fiorentina are level on points with Udinese and Genoa just above the relegation line, but their goal difference of minus 9 is the worst of that group, making points collection an immediate concern rather than a slow-burn worry.
Key battle to watch
Fiorentina have conceded 17 goals in seven games, an average of more than two per match, so the duel between their defensive shape and Inter’s attacking line will define how this game plays out. Thuram has 4 Serie A goals already this season and will test a back line that gave up three to Como last weekend. If Grosso sets up to contain Inter through the middle, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu have the quality to find space from deep and turn a compact block into a defensive problem with quick combinations. The real question is whether Fiorentina can get any foothold in possession to take the pressure off their back four, because Inter have given opponents very few moments of rest so far this campaign.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Inter’s form and the weight of the head-to-head record point firmly in one direction. Fiorentina have shipped goals in almost every outing this season and arrive with confidence dented after the Como defeat. Chivu’s side should control the tempo at home and collect three points that keep them in striking distance of Lazio at the top.
Fiorentina
Inter
Marcus Thuram
Nicolò Barella