Overview
Just 4 days after the 3-0 victory over Lazio in Serie A, Inter Milan continued to defeat this opponent in the Coppa Italia final to complete the domestic double in the 2025-2026 season.
Different from the gloomy atmosphere with empty stands in last weekend's match, the Olimpico stadium was packed with spectators in the final night of the Italian national cup. And Inter responded with a classy performance to affirm the number one position of Italian football today.
Cristian Chivu's team took a 2-goal lead in the first half before completely controlling the game to lift the Coppa Italia title for the 10th time in history. This is also the first time since the 2009-2010 season under Jose Mourinho that Inter has won a Serie A and Coppa Italia double in the same season.
Notably, coach Cristian Chivu was once a member of the legendary squad that won the treble under Mourinho 16 years ago. Now, the Romanian strategist is writing a new chapter in Nerazzurri's history right in his first season leading the team.
Inter is in extremely impressive attacking form. They have scored at least 2 goals in all 8 recent matches in all competitions and have done the same in 26/36 matches in Serie A this season.
With 27 victories already, Inter still has a chance to equal their second record of winning many matches in club history if they overcome Verona and Bologna in the last two rounds.
All statistics completely lean towards the San Siro home team before welcoming Verona this weekend. Inter has won 8 consecutive home matches against Verona, while the away team has never defeated Nerazzurri in Serie A in 29 recent encounters.
The gap between the two teams is currently up to 65 points in the standings, clearly reflecting the difference in class. In the opposite direction, Verona has officially been relegated after many years of struggling to stay in Serie A. The yellow-green team has only won 2 points in the last 8 rounds and has only scored 2 goals in that period.
Interim coach Paolo Sammarco is facing countless difficulties in reviving the team's spirit. In the most recent round, Verona narrowly lost to Como 0-1 after Kieron Bowie was denied a goal by VAR in the second half.
Poor attacking ability continues to be Verona's biggest problem this season. They have gone through 19 matches without scoring in Serie A and just one more match without scoring will equal the club's sad record set in 1989.
Personnel situation
After winning the Coppa Italia final in the middle of the week and prolonged celebrations in Rome, Inter Milan is likely to rotate the squad in the reception of Verona in Serie A.
However, Chivu almost has full force when only Hakan Calhanoglu is not in the best physical condition due to a thigh injury.
In attack, Lautaro Martinez is likely to still start as the Serie A top scorer race is entering a decisive stage. The Argentine striker has just continued to score in the Coppa Italia final and is currently leading the scoring list with a four-goal gap.
On the other side, Verona suffered a big loss when number one striker Gift Orban was dropped from the squad for disciplinary reasons.
That means Kieron Bowie will continue to shoulder the attack of the away team. The Scottish striker - recruited in January - has scored all 3 recent goals for Verona and all came away from home.
Expected lineup:
Inter Milan: Sommer, Akanji, Acerbi, Augusto, Henrique, Barella, Sucic, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Bonny, L. Martinez.
Verona: Montipo, Edmundsson, Nelsson, Valentini, Belghali, Akpa Akpro, Gagliardini, Bernede, Frese, Suslov, Bowie.
The match between Inter Milan and Verona takes place at 8:00 p.m. on May 17 (Vietnam time).
