Inter Milan v Roma
Saturday 20th April 1930hrs
Football – Italy – Serie A
Pick Both teams to score
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 71/100 (odds taken 14.55 GMT, Friday 19th April)
There are six games left in Serie A and Inter will be looking to cement their place in the top four and Champions League places with a win on Saturday evening, against a Roma team who are looking to climb into fourth following recent struggles.
Serie A Betting at Marathon Bet
Inter Milan Preview
If you had offered Luciano Spalletti a third-place finish at the beginning of the season he probably would have taken it as it would represent improvement from the previous season in terms of a league position, but they still have some way to go to better their points tally. That may seem somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of things but in terms of progress, it’s important for them to continue striving to better themselves as Spalletti attempts to build a squad capable of challenging for the top two positions. With a six-point gap over Roma in fifth spot, it’s looking promising for Inter that they will return to the group stages of the Champions League for a second consecutive season. A win on Saturday would virtually assure them of that but to do so, Inter will have to be much better at the San Siro than they have been of late. Winless in three home games across all competitions, Spalletti’s men have actually managed just two wins at home in their past six attempts in Serie A and have not scored a goal in four of them. It will be of some concern approaching the final stage of the season but there would be no better time to return to winning ways than against one of their top four rivals.
Key-Facts – Inter Milan v Roma
- The battle for the top four is heating up in Serie A and both Inter and Roma intend on being in those places come the end of the season
- Inter have struggled at home of late whilst Roma are looking to make it three wins a row
- The last six and 12 of the previous 16 meetings between these two have had both teams scoring in it
Roma Preview
The appointment of Claudio Ranieri as interim manager at Roma was not met with overwhelming approval and the early indications seemed to back that up as performances and results remained disappointing. Back-to-back defeats to SPAL and Napoli, followed by a draw at home to Fiorentina looked to have ended their hopes of finishing in the top four but two hard-fought wins against Sampdoria and Udinese have reignited their hopes of playing in the Champions League next year. They head to Milan on Saturday to face Inter, a point behind the other team from the city, AC. Both Atalanta and Lazio are also in contention so Ranieri will be aware of the need for this team to continue picking up wins and they will certainly be tested on Saturday. Away wins have been limited for Roma in the league this season (six in total) but they have won four of their last seven. It’s a favourable enough run-in for Ranieri as well as after Inter they play only teams who are below them in the table with the exception of leaders Juventus who are likely to have the title wrapped up by then. A win on Saturday would set them up nicely for that top four finish, as a result.
Inter Milan v Roma Betting Advice
It was always likely that these two teams would be competing for a top four finish this season but it’s roles reversal in one way, that being its usually Roma who have held the upper hand over Inter in terms of Serie A placings in recent seasons. As alluded to above, a home win would virtually assure Inter of a place in next season’s Champions League, at the same time hurting Roma’s hopes of achieving the same. This fixture also ensures that both coaches are facing a former team.
The teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw the last time they faced off against each other at the beginning of 2019 but neither are likely to be settling for a draw when they clash again tomorrow. Inter have found goals hard to come by in home matches of late whilst Roma have won their last two by a score line of 1-0 but the trend in recent meetings between the clubs’ points to goals. The last six have seen both teams scoring and a total of 19 goals scored. Stretching back further and it’s 12 of the last 16 where the two have found the net and that’s the selection for Saturday in a game where both teams require three points.
