DomainJava.com – Inter Milan vs Atalanta prediction in the Coppa Italia match, Tight competition for a place in the Supercoppa Italiana final. Lombardy’s two rivals, Inter Milan and Atalanta BC will meet in the unfamiliar surroundings of Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening.
The semi-finals of both teams will take place at Riyadh’s Al-Awwal Park, with the Serie A champions taking on this season’s league leaders.
Engaged in a tight competition for the title – alongside Atalanta and Napoli – Inter are not only trying to defend the Scudetto this season, but they also intend to defend the Supercoppa.
Winners in last year’s final, a stoppage-time goal from Lautaro Martinez sealed the Nerazzurri’s third win in a row in a competition previously played between reigning Italian champions and Coppa Italia holders.
For the second time, four teams will take part in the Saudi-hosted tournament, starting in 2025 with the trophy on the line – and Simone Inzaghi’s hunger for silverware has never quenched.
The Inter coach has claimed nine wins in his managerial career to date, and an unprecedented four wins are on his sights this year: just one point off top spot in Serie A, his side are also through to the cup quarter-finals and performing well in the Champions League .
Firstly, the Milan giants will travel east on the back of five consecutive league wins – with an average of more than three goals per game – having beaten Cagliari in their last match of 2024.
Alessandro Bastoni’s curling header broke the deadlock in Sardinia, before Martinez scored and set-piece expert Hakan Calhanoglu finished the game from the penalty spot, as Inter capped off another fine year.
Over the past 12 months, they have been Italy’s dominant force, winning 27 of their 38 top-flight games and losing just twice – the last in September.
One of Inter’s most impressive results from that time was a comprehensive 4-0 win over Atalanta at San Siro in August, but the Bergamo club have certainly responded in style since then.
Now one point clear of their regional rivals in the title race, La Dea ended 2024 with a late draw against in-form Lazio, with Marco Brescianini coming off the bench to snatch a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
Although the result ended an incredible run of 10 consecutive league wins, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men still lead in Serie A; while, after last season’s Europa League triumph, they have also performed well in the Champions League.
In 2024, Atalanta set their record number of wins in a year (36) and a new club-best goalscoring record (127) – and they will head to Riyadh on a run of 13 top-flight games without defeat.
Their status as underdogs at Italy’s elite level means the Bergamaschi have never participated in the Coppa Italia, but Gasperini’s guidance has made them contenders for all the top prizes.
Now, a win on Thursday night will take La Dea to another final next Monday, where Juventus or AC Milan will await.
Ahead of the two Supercoppa games, Simone Inzaghi will be without defensive duo Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi – both of whom have been ruled out at Milan – but Matteo Darmian has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to go.
Inter are likely to field a squad similar to the one they fielded against Cagliari at the weekend, with much-admired top scorer Marcus Thuram partnering captain Lautaro Martinez up front.
With Pavard and Acerbi still unable to play, Stefan de Vrij and Yann Bisseck should continue to play alongside Alessandro Bastoni in the Nerazzurri’s back three.
Meanwhile, Atalanta is missing former Inter full-back Juan Cuadrado – who suffered a thigh injury on Saturday – in addition to Italian strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Mateo Retegui.
Matteo Ruggeri may be fit to play in the semi-final, having joined training after a toe injury ruled him out of La Dea’s trip to Rome.
In the absence of Scamacca and Retegui, 2024 African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman will have to support Charles De Ketelaere in the final third..(ed)
(source: Sportsmole)
Inter Milan vs Atalanta Player Predictions
Inter Milan: Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Atalanta:Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Samardzic, Lookman; De Ketelaere
Inter Milan vs Atalanta Score Prediction: 2-1
The post Inter Milan vs Atalanta Prediction, Coppa Italia 3 January 2025 appeared first on DomainJava.com.
