Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Italian Serie A match.
Juventus' promising start (two consecutive 3:0 victories) puts pressure on Inter to maximise their performance at the beginning of the season. Inter Milan are seen as the clear favourites in their clash with Atalanta, despite both teams dealing with numerous personnel losses.
Inter Milan
In 180 minutes of Serie A action, Inter have generated 4.49 xG—only Atalanta have more (5.55). After a disappointing draw with Genoa (2:2), the team confidently handled Lecce at home (2:0), assisted by newcomer Mehdi Taremi in this match. The former Porto forward is likely to replace Lautaro Martínez, who is recovering from injury. It's worth noting that Inter operate in their aggressive 3-5-2 formation, with the coaching staff enhancing play through substitutions during the match.
Atalanta
Atalanta also managed to handle Lecce in the first round (4:0), but unexpectedly lost to Torino last weekend (1:2). Mateo Retegui scored again for Atalanta (3+0 in Serie A), but even 3.51 xG and 25 shots weren't enough for a victory. On Wednesday, the team officially parted ways with key midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who was sold to Juventus, but his replacement Lazar Samardžić is already impacting Atalanta's attack.
Inter Milan - Atalanta Prediction
In the past two seasons, four out of the five head-to-head matches between these teams have gone total over 2,5. Inter and Atalanta make no secret of their attacking preferences—we can expect goals from them on Friday.
