Overview
Inter Milan entered this round with the leading position in Serie A. They are one point ahead of city rivals AC Milan and two points ahead of defending champion Napoli. In the most recent match of the tournament, Cristian Chivu's team won bravely 2-1 against Genoa.
That was an impressive "final" before Inter set off to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Italian Super Cup. However, despite having a streak of 3 consecutive victories in Serie A and winning a ticket to the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, Nerazzurri still could not pocket the first title of the season. They were eliminated by Bologna on penalties in the semi-finals, after a rare draw.
That result continues to raise doubts about Chivu's ability in big matches, especially when Inter has suffered defeats against Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Milan, Juventus and Napoli. However, against weaker opponents, they proved quite "easy to breathe".
In fact, Inter possesses the strongest attack in Serie A. In recent weeks, they have scored 4 goals against Como and 2 goals against both Pisa and Genoa. With that foundation, Inter will aim to extend their scoring efficiency against an opponent considered favorite.
Despite being a formidable force of Italian football in the past decade, Atalanta is having a disadvantageous head-to-head record. They have lost all six of their most recent encounters in Serie A, while Inter is unbeaten in 13 head-to-head matches in the tournament. In addition, Inter also won the last match of the calendar year in Serie A in 6/7 recent seasons.
In the opposite direction, Atalanta has only won 1 of their last 5 matches, and having to face Inter is clearly not how they want to close the year 2025. They have even been goalless in half of their recent home matches against Inter, and are still looking for their first victory against this opponent in Serie A since November 2018.
However, Atalanta has a new foothold with coach Raffaele Palladino. Their confidence was somewhat strengthened after the victory in round 16 against Genoa - a time when Inter was busy playing in the Super Cup.
However, it was not an easy victory. Despite playing with one more player almost throughout the match after the Genoa goalkeeper was sent off, Atalanta could only decide the outcome in the final minutes.
After a difficult start in the post-Gian Piero Gasperini period, that result helped Atalanta rise to the top half of the rankings. More broadly, after defeating Chelsea at the beginning of the month, La Dea also aims for a favorable top 8 position in the Champions League.
With a series of 4 consecutive home wins in all competitions, Atalanta has the right to think about a promising year 2026. But before doing that, they must overcome the biggest challenge remaining in the year.
Personnel situation
Inter has just welcomed two important returns when Hakan Calhanoglu recovered from a groin injury and Matteo Darmian reappeared after a few weeks of absence. However, Cristian Chivu's team still suffered significant losses as three starting options will not be available.
In defense, Francesco Acerbi is still absent due to a thigh injury. Denzel Dumfries has surgery on his ankle and is likely to be out until March next year. In attack, French striker Yoan-Ange Bonny just sprained his knee.
Meanwhile, La Dea's attack that has just regained its vitality will not have Ademola Lookman - a target that Inter once pursued in the summer.
Expected lineup:
Carnesecchi, De Roon, Hien, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, Musah, Ederson, Bernasconi, De Ketelaere, Samardzic, Scamacca.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Akanji, Bisseck, Bastoni, Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez.
The match between Atalanta and Inter Milan takes place at 2:45 AM on December 29th (Vietnam time).
