Five days after falling 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League opener, Inter return to domestic action in a different frame of mind. That defeat in the Bernabeu stings, but coach Cristian Chivu’s side has been near-flawless in Serie A, winning all three league games and scoring eight goals. Udinese arrive at 13th, four points back and coming off a 1-2 home loss to Lazio. The gap in form between these two sides makes Sunday’s fixture a straightforward test on paper, though Inter will want sharper focus after the European setback.
What’s at stake
Inter sit third in Serie A on nine points, level with AS Roma and just one point behind leaders Lazio, who have played a game more. With Cagliari also on nine points in fourth, the top four are tightly packed and a slip here would let rivals breathe easier. The top four places in Serie A all carry Champions League spots, and with the table this compressed after just three rounds for Inter, every home game carries real weight in establishing separation from the chasing pack.
A win keeps Inter in the conversation at the very top and applies pressure on Lazio and Roma ahead of their own fixtures. For Udinese, a point or three away from home against one of the division’s in-form sides would be a genuine boost to their mid-table standing, though Kosta Runjaic’s squad has work to do to pull clear of the lower half of the table.
How they got here
Inter’s Serie A form has been sharp: victories over Monza (4-1), Cagliari (1-0 away), and Napoli (3-2) have Chivu’s side playing with attacking confidence. The Champions League loss to Real Madrid is the only blemish across their last five competitive matches, and it came in a difficult environment at the Bernabeu. Udinese’s recent run is more mixed: a draw at home to Como, a 3-2 win at Monza, and a Coppa Italia victory over Venezia were encouraging, but the 1-2 defeat at home to Lazio last week exposed defensive vulnerabilities that Inter’s forward line will look to target.
Inter are third in Serie A with nine points from three games. Udinese sit 13th on four points from three matches, with one win, one draw, and one loss. Their goals-for and goals-against are both at five, which tells you they are involved in open, unpredictable games rather than grinding out clean sheets.
Key battle to watch
Udinese’s backline was beaten three times by Lazio in their last league outing and conceded twice at Monza before that. Inter’s front trio, with Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez leading the line, have combined for the bulk of that eight-goal Serie A haul. Whether Udinese can organize defensively and disrupt Inter’s attacking rhythm through midfield, where Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu control tempo, will largely decide whether this finishes as a comfortable home win or a scrappier afternoon than the standings suggest.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Inter’s domestic form is the strongest argument here: three wins, eight goals scored, and an attacking unit that punishes the kind of defensive lapses Udinese showed against Lazio. The head-to-head record backs Inter heavily too, with eight wins from the last ten meetings and zero draws. Expect Chivu’s side to control possession and find the net at least twice, though Udinese’s ability to score in most of their recent games means this may not be a shutout.
Udinese
Lautaro Martinez
Nicolò Barella