February 19th 2011, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN)
Cagliari make the trip to the San Siro on the back of an impressive 4-1 demolition of Chievo. Inter responded to their disappointing defeat at Juventus last Sunday by travelling to Fiorentina on Wednesday and beating the hosts 2-1.
Inter’s defeat at Juventus will have worried their supporters as they didn’t really show up for what is one of the biggest derbies in Italian football. They showed some steel in overcoming Fiorentina however, and will hope their victory in that game marks a return to the seemingly unstoppable form they had shown before the derby d’Italia.
Inter have signed a few players during the January transfer window, but of the new additions, Giampaolo Pazzini has immediately surpassed expectations. Joining a team where one is forced to compete with Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev is a daunting prospect for any striker, but Pazzini has made an instant impact. The former Sampdoria hero scored the winner on Wednesday, and has stamped his mark on almost every game he has played in for Inter.
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| Sneijder may be rested for this game ahead of Inter's midweek Champions League fixture |
Key central defender Lúcio makes a return to the Inter starting line-up having missed their last three games due to a muscular injury. The suspended Christian Chivu and injured Diego Milito will miss out however, while Cagliari have a full squad to choose from.
Betting against Cagliari to lose may seem dangerous considering their last result, but the Sardinians are a more fragile unit away from home. I expect Inter to warm up for their midweek Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich by recording an easy win at the San Siro on Saturday.
Prediction – Inter -1 (handicap betting) – 3pts
Match odds: Inter 2/5
Draw 16/5
Cagliari 13/2
Inter -1 5/4
Inter: Last 5 Serie A Results
16.02.2011 – Fiorentina 1-2 Inter
13.02.2011 – Juventus 1-0 Inter
06.02.2011 – Inter 5-3 Roma
03.02.2011 – Bari 0-3 Inter
30.01.2011 – Inter 3-2 Palermo
Cagliari: Last 5 Serie A Results
13.01.2011 – Cagliari 4-1 Chievo
05.02.2011 – Cagliari 1-3 Juventus
02.02.2011 – Sampdoria 0-1 Cagliari
30.01.2011 – Cagliari 2-1 Bari
22.01.2011 – Roma 3-0 Cagliari
