Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Coppa Italia match.
Thanks to another slip-up by Napoli last weekend, Inter Milan now occupy the top spot in Serie A, a position they haven’t held for quite some time. On Tuesday, they should comfortably overcome a Lazio side weakened by injuries – the difference in the quality of play will be evident.
Inter Milan
Following their defeat to Juventus (0:1), a match in which Inter Milan worked hard in the opposition half (1.94 vs 1.16 in xG), the Milan side narrowly defeated Genoa (1:0). Filippo Inzaghi rotated his squad against Genoa, with goalkeeper Lautaro Martinez, Kristjan Asllani, Francesco Acerbi, and Joaquín Correa starting – these players are unlikely to be in the starting line-up for the cup match. Since the start of the calendar year, Inter Milan have created the most chances in the league (16.30 xG) – their attack is proving effective.
Lazio
Lazio’s most significant victory this campaign was their Coppa Italia Round of 16 win against Napoli at the beginning of December (3:1). Since then, the Romans confidently progressed from their Europa League group stage, but have fallen out of the Serie A top four – draws against Napoli (2:2) and Venezia (0:0) yielded only 1.67 xG. Lazio are missing five players, with the absence of Taty Castellanos being particularly significant – without their first-choice forward, the team will have even fewer opportunities in attack.
Inter Milan vs Lazio Prediction
Inter Milan scored 10 goals against Lazio in three encounters last year – their victory at the Stadio Olimpico in December (6:0) demonstrated the Milan side’s strength. The Romans will put up a fight at the San Siro, but will ultimately suffer defeat.
