Serie A Preview: Inter Milan Hope to Avenge Derby Defeat in Barrera’s Absence, Udinese in Fine Form

On September 28 at 9 PM, Udinese will host Inter Milan at the Dacia Arena for the sixth round of Serie A.

The Sky Sports preview highlighted the number “7,” describing the match as a contest between improvers and regressors. After the first five rounds last season, Udinese had only 3 points, placing them in the relegation zone. This season, they have accumulated 10 points from the first five rounds, a significant improvement of 7 points. Meanwhile, Inter Milan, who won all five of their opening matches last season accumulating 15 points, have only managed 8 points this season, a drop of 7 points. This highlights the contrasting motivations and objectives of the two teams going into this match.

Inter Milan have gone winless in their last three games, drawing with Monza and Manchester City (in the Champions League) and losing the Milan Derby. While their draw against Manchester City away from home earned them praise, their league performance has fallen short of expectations, leading to criticism of figures like Simone Inzaghi and Lautaro Martinez. The entire Inter squad is eager to get back on track in the league.

Udinese have been in excellent form since the start of the season, winning 5 out of 7 games (5 Serie A matches and 2 Coppa Italia matches), with 1 draw and 1 loss. They have scored 14 goals in these 7 matches. The attacking duo of Florian Thauvin and Ilija Nestorovski have combined for 8 goals and 3 assists, firing on all cylinders.

In terms of head-to-head results, Udinese have 1 win, 1 draw, and 8 losses in their last 10 encounters with Inter Milan, putting them at a clear disadvantage. However, in the last 6 home games against Inter, Udinese have recorded 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, with a win rate of just 50%.

In terms of squad availability, Inter Milan are missing two players. Apart from long-term absentee Buchanan, Nicolò Barella’s absence due to injury significantly impacts Inter. Statistics show that in the 4800 minutes of play last season, Inter conceded one goal every 174.4 minutes when Barella was on the field, compared to one goal every 81.8 minutes when he was not, indicating a substantial defensive impact. On the Udinese side, six players were unavailable in the previous round, but three have now recovered. However, Alexis Sánchez (calf), Federico Peluso (foot), and Gianluca Gaudette (muscle) will still be sidelined, with the Chilean veteran unable to face his former club.

>>”>For more predictions and analysis for this game, click >>>