Prediction: Inter vs Lazio

Verdict: Inter win.

Best odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: Bet365

In what is to be the last game of the weekend ahead for Serie A, Inter Milan host Lazio at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on Sunday evening.

Inter

The Nerazzurri have been shaken somewhat by the unhappy circumstances surrounding Mauro Icardi. The striker has been stripped of captaincy due to a contract standoff with the club, and the saga has brought a cloud over otherwise a reasonably successful season. It now seems that the matter is heading towards a solution and the Argentinian has returned to team training.

Inter are far from having any chance to go for the title being 22 points behind leaders Juventus, but given their struggles in recent years they will surely welcome consecutive Champions League qualification, which at the moment seems likely. They are entering the final stage of the season on a high, having beaten city rivals AC Milan prior to the international break.

Team News

Head coach Luciano Spalletti will have a few absentees to make up for. Defenders Stefan de Vrij and Šime Vrsaljko are both out with injuries. Midfielder Radja Nainggolan might play having recovered from a problem of his own, though his match fitness remains under a question mark.

It has been said above that Icardi has returned to training, and should he regain the trust of the coach, his presence could bring a massive quality boost for the home side.

Lazio

Lazio have had a turbulent season as well, though for them it relates to the on-pitch activities. They seem to be on reasonably good form at the moment, having drawn the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal at home against AC Milan and done the same away to Fiorentina in Serie A, but their away record has been surprisingly poor. They won only two of the last eight games away from the Stadio Olimpico, and those two victories came against relegation battlers Bologna and Frosinone. Not to mention that they failed to beat last-place Chievo in Verona.

At the moment they are sixth in the league, sitting three places and eight points behind Inter.

Team News

Should Icardi play for Inter, it will be interesting as always to compare him with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.

Meanwhile, Lazio midfielder Valon Berisha is a doubt having missed several previous games with injury and suspension, while defender Jordan Lukaku is out injured.

Conclusion

It should be an interesting contest, but looking ahead, the game smells of a home win. Inter seem like a better team, with better chemistry and organization, as well as more individual quality in various segments of the squad. Lazio’s poor away record stands heavily against them at the moment.

Verdict: Inter win.

Best odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: Bet365