Serie A: Spezia out to worsen Inter Milan’s away blues
Spezia will be out to worsen Inter Milan’s away blues when both sides meet in Friday’s Serie A game at Stadio Alberto Picco.
The Aquilotti played out a goalless encounter against Hellas Verona on Sunday, while the Nerazzurri returned to winning ways with a 2-0 triumph over Lecce at San Siro last time out.
Spezia have not got the manager bounce they hoped for after sacking Luca Gotti in mid-February, with new boss Leonardo Semplici winless in his opening two games in Liguria.
The former SPAL trainer signed a six-month contract last month that is renewable if the relegation-threatened side stays in Serie A next season, but they face a battle to turn the tide to beat the drop.
An extended winless run has seen the Aquilotti slide down the standings, with seven matches played since that 1-0 success at Torino on January 15.
Four of the following gameweeks have ended in defeat, although it must be stated that Semplici is yet to lose since replacing Gotti last month.
That said, failure to beat 18th-placed Hellas Verona on Sunday seemed like an opportunity lost for Spezia, who could have gone six points clear of the side one place below them.
With Inter visiting Liguria on Friday night, Verona will move level on points with the Aquilotti if they defeat Monza and Simone Inzaghi’s troops win at Stadio Alberto Picco.
It may not be as straightforward for the Nerazzurri as many suggest, owing to their indifferent results on their travels in 2022-23 and an inclination to blow hot and cold.
READ ALSO:Flying Eagles battle Carthage Eagles for AFCON U-20 bronze medal
Since beating Cremonese 2-1 in January, the Milan outfit have failed to win their recent away games, drawing at Sampdoria and losing 1-0 at Bologna.
The latter came after a 1-0 Champions League triumph over Porto, prompting Inzaghi to reveal his side had trouble maintaining consistency in their performance every three days.
Inter have the seventh-best away record in the division, a departure from last season when only eventual champions AC Milan and Napoli had better records on their travels.
Last weekend’s results saw the Lombardy outfit take charge in the five-way battle for the three spots below champions-elect Napoli in the race for next season’s Champions League, an advantage Inzaghi hopes to consolidate on Friday night.
Having had five days to rest, the Nerazzurri will back themselves to repeat August’s 3-0 success over the Aquilotti.
Arkadiusz Reca received an 89th-minute booking for Spezia against Verona, and the suspended left-back will miss out against Inter.
With Reca suspended, Mattia Caldara may start at centre-back leading to Dimitris Nikolaou’s utilisation as a makeshift left-back.
The quartet of Simone Bastoni, Jeroen Zoet, Joao Moutinho and Emil Holm are unlikely to start owing to varying injury issues.
Federico Marchetti was not expected to start against Inter, but a sending-off for the substitute goalkeeper last time out completely rules him out.
Inzaghi may rotate his team with next week’s Champions League trip to Porto, although some familiar faces should be in the lineup.
Romelu Lukaku is likely to start, owing to the Nerazzurri boss’ tendency to alternate between the on-loan striker and Edin Dzeko to partner Lautaro Martinez in the manager’s 3-5-2 approach.
Joaquin Correa is another forward back in contention after recovering from a thigh injury that has kept him out for about a month, but he is unlikely to start.
With European action on the horizon, Milan Skriniar could be given a breather on Friday.
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Amian, Ampadu, Caldara, Nikolaou; Bourabia, Ekdal, Agudelo; Verde, Nzola, Gyasi
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Mkhitaryan, Gosens; Lukaku, Martinez