Overview
With a spectacular comeback in the final minutes at San Siro, Inter Milan won a ticket to the Coppa Italia final once again. They continue to nurture hopes of conquering their 10th national title in history.
It seemed like the opportunity was over when the match was only about 20 minutes left, but Cristian Chivu's team still managed to reverse the situation against Como. The 3-2 aggregate victory helped Nerazzurri win a ticket to Rome.
The two most prominent factors are Hakan Calhanoglu and Petar Sucic. Calhanoglu scored a double from Sucic's two assists, before repaying with a pass to help this player who came on as a substitute score the decisive goal.
Inter will face Lazio in the final at the Stadio Olimpico next month, and they are facing a rare domestic double.
Although Napoli is still postponing the coronation day, the Serie A championship is almost in Inter's hands. The performance of the blue and black striped team is extremely impressive with 4 consecutive victories, each match scoring at least 3 goals, including a 3-0 victory over Cagliari.
Before the away match in Turin, Inter also showed remarkable stability away from home with 12 wins and only 3 defeats after 16 matches. Head-to-head history further strengthens their belief when they have won all 3 recent away matches against Torino with a total score of 6-0.
In the opposite direction, Torino is clearly inferior when they have not won against Inter since 2019 and have lost heavily 0-5 in the first leg this season. However, the change on the coaching bench has brought positive signals.
After parting ways with Marco Baroni, the maroon team has improved under Roberto D'Aversa. Despite just losing points against Cremonese, Torino still stands firm in 12th place with 4 wins in the last 7 matches.
Notably, all 3 home wins of theirs came under D'Aversa, helping this coach maintain a perfect winning record in Turin. However, against a Inter in peak form, the challenge for Torino is still extremely harsh.
Personnel situation
Inter Milan captain, Lautaro Martinez, has not yet returned due to a thigh injury and will continue to be absent. However, his attacking partner Marcus Thuram has regained his peak form.
The French striker is likely to partner with Ange-Yoan Bonny or Pio Esposito in attack.
In addition to Martinez, Inter may also be missing Alessandro Bastoni due to an ankle problem, although his ability to play has not been confirmed. Cristian Chivu is also considering rotating the squad after the tense match in the Coppa Italia in the middle of the week.
On the other side, Roberto D'Aversa is likely to still keep Torino's main squad. A notable change may come in defense, when Ardian Ismajli returns after suspension and is ready to replace Guillermo Maripan.
In attack, Duvan Zapata may return to the bench after a period of injury recovery, while Tino Anjorin and Zakaria Aboukhlal are still unable to play.
It is likely that Giovanni Simeone will play alongside Che Adams. The Argentine striker is very close to the 10-goal milestone in Serie A - something he has not done since 2022 - having scored in all 3 recent home matches.
Expected lineup:
Paleari, Coco, Ismajli, Ebosse, Pedersen, Casadei, Gineitis, Obrador, Vlasic, Simeone, Adams.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Bisseck, Akanji, Augusto, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Dimarco, Thuram, Esposito.
The match between Torino and Inter Milan takes place at 11:00 PM on April 26 (Vietnam time).
