Serie A Preview: Inter v Livorno

Inter will be hoping to close the gap on Serie A’s top three when they welcome Livorno to San Siro on Saturday.

Walter Mazzarri’s men sit fourth, six points adrift of Napoli and Juventus in second and third respectively, but have only taken two victories from their last six league fixtures.

However, history suggests the hosts can be confident of picking up all three points this weekend, having won nine of the previous 11 meetings between the sides, scoring 24 goals compared to Livorno’s four.

Visiting coach Davide Nicola has been under pressure in recent weeks after the club went on a winless streak of seven matches, which included four straight defeats.

But that run was broken last time out with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Atalanta, courtesy of Paulinho’s early strike, and Nicola will be keen to build on that triumph, with his side occupying 14th spot.

Inter recorded a comprehensive 3-0 win at Udinese in their last match but goalkeeper Samir Handanovic knows they can take nothing for granted against Livorno.

“We have to forget about the Udinese match and focus on the next one against Livorno, a dangerous team,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“This season is an interesting one with a lot of balance at both ends of the table.

“Is our schedule is getting easier? It depends on how you face the matches.

“And in football you never know, since games can be decided by individual incidents.

“What we need to do is keep up this attitude.”

Inter will be boosted by the return of experienced midfielder Javier Zanetti, who is back from an ankle injury that has kept him out since April, though he was on the bench for the Udinese match.

“On Saturday we face Livorno and I hope there can be the opportunity for me to play a few minutes. We’ll see,” he told Radio RTL.

Hugo Campagnaro (muscle strain), Diego Milito (thigh), McDonald Mariga (knee) and Cristian Chivu (foot) remain doubtful for the hosts, while Mauro Icardi is expected to be out for a month after a hernia operation.

Livorno, meanwhile, could be without Luca Belingheri (calf) again, while Marco Biagianti is a doubt after missing the win over Atalanta with a muscular problem.