Inter hit the road to go to Verona and take on Chievo in a match where the play can be expected to be as unattractive as the stadium where it will be played; for Inter only three points matter here. Match on Saturday at 18:00 CET.

In “The Flying Donkeys” the hosts hold one of the league’s most memorable nicknames, but so far their season has been far more of donkeys than it has been of flying. The team from Verona only recently managed to record a tally of positive points after their preseason points penalty has been overturned.

Coach Domenico DiCarlo is the third man to take the reins on the bench so far this season and has the unenviable and virtually impossible task of keeping them in the league’s top flight. Despite having seasoned Serie A veterans such as Walter Birsa, Nenad Tomovic and Sergio Pellissier on the roster, Mimmo DiCarlo’s proverbial sails seem to have lost all wind. Bearing in mind the aforementioned point, it’s easy to see how when an experienced team has nothing to lose, playing up to a big visiting team can be one of the reasons few bright spots. And therefore one can expect the usually difficult and resilient Chievo to step ontothe pitch despite the seasons’ disappointments so far.

Inter must play to win, and to show that they have crossed the mental hump of previous seasons where a single disappointment such as the Champions League exit can have repercussions that echo far into the season. Last week’s hard fought win against Udinese was a positive sign, this week Inter must build on that.

Tactically, Luciano Spaletti might have his midfield module working in a more dynamic 3 man set up rather than the double pivot behind the creator. This method proved quite successful when wanting to break down deep lying defensive sides earlier in the season. Inter must win, but the path to finding victory is not as easy as the two sides’ positions on the table may lead one to believe.

Team News

The big news is the return to full fitness by both Dalbert and Nainggolan. The Brazilian full-back will most likely his Ghanaian team mate Kwadwo Asamoah some much deserved rest. As for the Belgian ninja it appears that this match is as good as any for him to make his formal return from his long-term fitness troubles.

Probable Inter line-up: (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; Vrsaljko, de Vrij, Skriniar, Dalbert; Gagliardini, Brozovic; Perisic, Nainggolan, Politano; Icardi.

Stats

Last Season: Chievo 1 – 2 Inter

Last 10 Head to Head: Over the last ten matches, Inter have had the clear upper hand, beating Chievo six times to the Flying Donkeys’ pair of wins.

Keep an Eye on

Mauro Icardi: With wife and manager and general public appearance tornado Wanda Nara making some eyebrow raising remarks to the press regarding Maurito’s contract renewal, the captain will have to continue to demonstrate his ability to keep off the pitch shenanigans from affecting his performances sul campo.

Officials

Referee: Fabrizio Pasqua
Assistants: Posago and Galetto
Fourth Official: Piscopo
VAR Officials: Marinelli and Di Giovane

Prediction & concluding remarks

Prediction & scorers: Chieve 1-2 Inter with Icardi and Keita scoring.

Concluding remarks: It seems more than likely that Chievo have almost nothing to play for this season except for when it comes to matches like this one, where a high profile team comes visiting. While we note that this match remains, for the most part, a David versus Goliath match-up, the miss matches hosts will be very fired up to take something away from the match.

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