Inter Milan, currently navigating a challenging period, are set to welcome Roma at San Siro for a crucial Serie A encounter. The league leaders will see the vital return of Lautaro Martinez, who will partner Marcus Thuram upfront, alongside several defensive adjustments. For Roma, there’s positive news with the return of Matias Soulé, forming an attacking duo with Donyell Malen. The match is scheduled to kick off at 19:45 UK time (20:45 CEST).
Team News and Form Analysis
Inter Milan: Aiming to Reassert Dominance
Inter’s once-comfortable ten-point lead at the top of the Serie A standings has been reduced to just six, following a recent defeat to Milan and successive 1-1 draws against Atalanta and Fiorentina. This dip in form largely coincided with the absence of star striker Lautaro Martinez, who had been out since February 18 due to a calf strain sustained in a Champions League play-off. His return, partnering Marcus Thuram (who recently found the net for France), is a significant boost for the team. Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is also fit after his international commitments. In defense, Inter are forced to make changes: Yann Bisseck is injured, and Carlos Augusto is suspended, leading to a rare starting opportunity for Francesco Acerbi. He will play alongside Alessandro Bastoni, whose performance will be closely watched following his recent red card for Italy in the World Cup play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
AS Roma: Navigating an Injury Crisis with Key Returns
Roma is battling a significant injury crisis, with key players such as Wesley (out for a month with a muscular strain), Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, and Evan Ferguson all sidelined. However, there’s a silver lining with the return of Matías Soulé, who hasn’t featured since February 15 due to recurring hip inflammation. He will join Donyell Malen in attack; Malen, a successful January acquisition from Aston Villa, has already become Roma’s top scorer this season. Roma themselves have faced a challenging period, sitting joint fifth with Juventus, three points behind Como. Their recent form includes elimination from the Europa League and only one point from their last three Serie A matches, before a narrow 1-0 victory over Lecce ahead of the international break. In the lineup, Devyne Rensch gets the nod over Kostas Tsimikas, whose loan spell from Liverpool has been underwhelming, and Zeki Celik shifts to the left flank. Niccolò Pisilli starts in midfield ahead of Neil El Aynaoui, with Evan Ndicka also back in contention after serving a suspension.
Match Details and Early Action
The highly anticipated Serie A Matchday 31 fixture is underway at the iconic San Siro Stadium. Inter has taken an early lead:
- Current Score: Inter 1 – 0 Roma
- Goal: Lautaro Martínez (1′)
- Assist: Marcus Thuram
Official Starting Lineups
Inter
- Goalkeeper: Yann Sommer (1)
- Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (95), Federico Dimarco (32), Francesco Acerbi (15), Manuel Akanji (25)
- Midfielders: Denzel Dumfries (2), Hakan Calhanoglu (20), Nicolò Barella (23), Piotr Zielinski (7)
- Attackers: Lautaro Martínez (10), Marcus Thuram (9)
Roma
- Goalkeeper: Mile Svilar (99)
- Defenders: Devyne Rensch (2), Evan Ndicka (5), Gianluca Mancini (23), Mario Hermoso (22), Zeki Celik (19)
- Midfielders: Bryan Cristante (4), Lorenzo Pellegrini (7), Niccolò Pisilli (61)
- Attackers: Donyell Malen (14), Matìas Soulé (18)
Substitutes
Inter Bench
- Henrikh Mkhitaryan (22) – Midfielder
- Davide Frattesi (16) – Midfielder
- Matteo Darmian (36) – Defender
- Stefan de Vrij (6) – Defender
- Ange-Yoan Bonny (14) – Defender
- Luis Henrique (11) – Attacker
- Josep Martínez (13) – Goalkeeper
- Andy Diouf (17) – Attacker
- Raffaele Di Gennaro (12) – Goalkeeper
- Pio Esposito (94) – Attacker
- Petar Sucic (8) – Defender
- Matteo Cocchi (43) – Defender
Roma Bench
- Stephan El Shaarawy (92) – Attacker
- Angeliño (3) – Defender
- Pierluigi Gollini (95) – Goalkeeper
- Konstantinos Tsimikas (12) – Defender
- Daniele Ghilardi (87) – Defender
- Neil El Aynaoui (8) – Midfielder
- Jan Ziolkowski (24) – Defender
- Bryan Zaragoza (97) – Attacker
- Giorgio De Marzi (70) – Goalkeeper
- Lorenzo Venturino (20) – Attacker
- Robinio Vaz (78) – Attacker
