Overview
Inter Milan has paid off their recent defeat in the Italian Super Cup semi-finals with a victory over Bologna in Serie A. They extended their winning streak to 5 consecutive wins in the tournament since their fall in the Derby della Madonnina.
Piotr Zielinski broke the deadlock with a powerful shot, before Lautaro Martinez raised his total number of goals in Serie A this season to 10. Marcus Thuram closed an effective night with an impromptu finish, helping Inter create a safe advantage before Bologna only had time to narrow the gap to 1-3 in the final minutes.
Under the leadership of captain Martinez, Inter possesses the most formidable attack in the league, scoring 10 more goals than the second-placed team Milan. Statistics of 13 wins and 4 defeats after 17 rounds further emphasize the "extremism" in Inter's way of accumulating points.
However, the question mark about the defense is still there, especially when Inter sometimes reveals weaknesses in big matches. However, overall, Cristian Chivu's team is still in a favorable position to compete and aim to win the Scudetto again.
Before the away match to Emilia-Romagna, Inter earned 18/24 maximum points away from home in Serie A this season, and it has been quite a long time since they succumbed in Parma.
After a 2-2 draw in their most recent encounter at Tardini in April, Parma's most recent victory against Inter in Serie A was still in September 2018. In that match, Federico Dimarco - the scorer - also scored his first goal in Serie A right at San Siro. In the midweek rematch, Dimarco is likely still in the away team squad.
While Chivu returned to Tardini after leaving his mark with Parma's impressive relegation suspension last season, his successor Carlos Cuesta is gradually creating a positive trajectory. After a not-so-smooth start, this captain helped Parma win 7 points in 4 matches, thereby escaping the danger zone.
After the victory against Fiorentina and the 1-1 draw with neighbor Sassuolo - where Mateo Pellegrino scored a beautiful goal - Gialloblu has risen to 16th place, creating a gap of 6 points compared to the relegation group.
However, against an Inter that is in form, very few people believe Parma can create a boost to win two consecutive home wins in Serie A for the first time in 5 years.
Personnel situation
Inter continues to face difficulties on the wing as two wing-backs Matteo Darmian and Denzel Dumfries are still absent due to injury. Andy Diouf also had a minor problem in the match against Bologna, but French striker Ange-Yoan Bonny is expected to recover in time to face his old team.
In attack, Lautaro Martinez has just returned to training and is likely to be on the bench. Therefore, Marcus Thuram or Francesco Pio Esposito may be the ones to partner with "El Toro" when Inter rotates personnel.
Martinez is aiming for the milestone of becoming the first Inter player to score in 6 consecutive Serie A matches since 2007. Meanwhile, Thuram has scored in both matches against Parma last season.
On Parma's side, after an assist against Fiorentina and a beautiful goal last weekend, Mateo Pellegrino is expected to lead the home team's attack.
Abdoulaye Ndiaye is still out due to a groin injury, but Adrian Benedyczak may return to the registered list after recovering.
Expected lineup:
Corvi, Del Prato, Circati, Valenti, Britschgi, Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen, Valeri, Ondrejka, Pellegrino.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni, Henrique, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco, Thuram, Martinez.
The match between Parma and Inter Milan takes place at 2:45 AM on January 8 (Vietnam time).
