Serie A Preview: Inter - Siena

Inter are only a victory away from the Scudetto, but they could even make do with a draw against Siena if Milan fail to win at Udinese the day before.

Inter Preparing For Celebrations

It would be a major surprise if Inter fail to win their 17th Scudetto this weekend against Siena. All they need to do is match Milan’s result in their game on Saturday night against Udinese, and the title is theirs. Despite their recent struggles, the lead they had built up over Milan and Juventus was so big that they could easily afford a number of slip-ups, most recently last week away to Chievo.

In that match, they confirmed their recent defensive problems and lack of concentration, as they twice gave away a one-goal lead. Until a couple of months ago, Inter had built up their big ponts advantage on top of the table primarily thanks to their ability to hold on to a lead. Of course, it could be that after opening up such a gap between themselves and their followers, the players started to lose focus somewhat.



In any event, overall Inter’s problems this season have been minor compared to Juve's and Milan’s, so even losing points in recent matches against Palermo, Napoli, and Chievo hasn’t been enough to put the Scudetto race seriously in doubt. Still, the apparent ease with which the Nerazzurri are about to win the title suggests not all is right in Italian football (something we all know is true). It also explains why they always seem to struggle in European matches; in Serie A they have lacked serious competition over the last few years.

Most probably next season Juventus and Milan will be more competitive, although that was also thought to be the case ahead of this season. There is a sense, however, that Inter will find it much harder to defend their title if their rivals do make big steps ahead next season, as this year Jose Mourinho’s side have not always looked as solid as they were under Roberto Mancini. Also, the club’s focus will likely be even more strongly on the Champions League, especially if Mourinho gets the players he feels Inter need to be competitive in Europe.

All of this suggests next year’s Scudetto race will not be as good as over well before the end of the season, as was the case this term - which is good news for Italian football, as a competitive title race will make all clubs involved in Europe psychologically stronger when they face big Champions League ties.

Siena Ready To Frustrate Inter Again??

After officially securing their stay in Serie A for another season last week, Siena can prepare for the match against Inter without serious worries. In fact, they were in a similar situation around this time last season, when they travelled to San Siro to face the Nerazzurri on the penultimate matchday of the league. The home side needed a win to make sure of the Scudetto, but Siena battled to a 2-2 draw, forcing Inter to postpone their celebrations.

Although they did end up winning the title in the match against Parma, Siena managed to give Roberto Mancini and his troops a mighty scare, and kept all Italian non-Inter fans’ hopes of another 5 May-like collapse alive until the final match.

Roma proved to be fiercely competitive until the bitter end, and in fact they were virtually champions for about an hour on that final matchday, before Ibrahimovic came on and decided the match at Parma with a brace. The same cannot quite be said about Milan, who lost the last glimmer of hope in last week’s home draw against Juventus.

The pressure on Inter for this match should not be as strong as it was in this same fixture last season, then, but Siena are a team they have often struggled against. Statistically this season has been their best ever in Serie A, and it’s no surprise coach Marco Giampaolo is now being linked with a move to a more prestigious club.

Earlier this season, the Bianconeri should have earned a draw in their home match against Inter, but only an incredible error by the linesman, who failed to see that Maicon was around a metre offside when he scored the winner, denied them a deserved point. Giampaolo’s men will undoubtedly draw courage from that particular match and they will fancy their chances of getting a result in this one, although it should be said their away form has been considerably inferior to their home results.

FORM GUIDE

Inter

10/05 (Serie A): Chievo-Inter 2-2
02/05 (Serie A): Inter-Lazio 2-0
26/04 (Serie A): Napoli-Inter 1-0
23/04 (Coppa Italia): Inter-Sampdoria 1-0
18/04 (Serie A): Juventus-Inter 1-1

Siena

10/05 (Serie A): Siena-Palermo 1-0
03/05 (Serie A): Siena-Napoli 2-1
26/04 (Serie A): Torino-Siena 1-0
19/04 (Serie A): Siena-Chievo 0-2
11/04 (Serie A): Bologna-Siena 1-4



TEAM NEWS

Inter

Maicon and Nelson Rivas are out injured, while Julio Cruz is suspended.

Possible formation (4-3-2-1): Julio Cesar; Zanetti, Cordoba, Samuel, Chivu; Cambiasso, Stankovic, Muntari; Figo, Balotelli; Ibrahimovic.

Siena

Mirko Guadalupi, Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, and Emanuele Manitta are injured.

Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Curci; Del Prete, Portanova, Brandao, Rossi; Vergassola, Codrea, Galloppa; Kharja; Calaió, Maccarone.



PLAYERS TO WATCH

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)

After missing the match against Chievo due to suspension, Inter’s best player will be available again for this one, and he’ll want to be firing on all cylinders to be decisive again as he has so often been this season. The Swede is also competing for the Capocannoniere (top scorer) title in Serie A along with Marco Di Vaio, who is currently one goal ahead of him. If transfer rumours are to be believed, this could also be one of his last matches with the Nerazzurri. President Massimo Moratti has already assured the fans he will stay, but his repeated admissions that he is ready for a new challenge is a cause for concern.

Massimo Maccarone (Siena)

While he hasn’t quite managed to repeat his exploits of last season, when he scored 13 goals for Siena, once again Maccarone has been the team’s most prolific and reliable goalscorer, with eight to his name so far. The 29-year-old may not be a world-class striker, but his international experience has proven invaluable to Siena’s survival chances in the last few seasons.



PREDICTION

Inter to cruise to the Scudetto in style in front of a packed San Siro stadium.

Inter-Siena 3-0