Inter Milan vs Salernitana Prediction: Comfortable victory expected for Nerazzurri

It’s top against bottom in Serie A on Friday night (KO, 20:00) when runaway leaders Inter Milan host Salernitana, who are seven points adrift at the foot of the table.

Simone Inzaghi’s table toppers have been a force to be reckoned with this season and the New Year has seen no change in that respect, as they have won each of their seven games in 2024.

The Garnets, meanwhile, have struggled to get any points on the board since the turn of the year, registering six defeats and one draw in Serie A, a run that includes four consecutive 2-1 losses.

Team News

The Nerazzurri will be without Juan Cuadrado and Davide Frattesi through injury, while central defender Francesco Acerbi has a slight calf problem and is expected to be rested.

The Champions League round of 16 tie with Atletico Madrid may also be on the mind of Inzaghi and so a heavily rotated squad could be on the cards, with fringe players such as Alexis Sanchez and Marko Arnautovic potentially in with a chance of receiving minutes from the get-go.

Fabio Liverani also has a handful of enforced absentees, with Federico Fazio and Norbert Gyomber both not due back from muscular injuries for another two weeks.

Defender Domagoj Bradaric will also miss out on the trip to the Giuseppe Meazza after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in their defeat to Empoli last time out.

Match Odds

As expected, Inter Milan are overwhelming favourites to pick up all three points at 1/6, whereas Salernitana are 14/1 to land what would be a shock victory.

The draw can be backed at 7/1, while Serie A top goalscorer Lautaro Martinez is the favourite to open the scoring at 5/2.

Inter Milan to win to nil @ 5/6

Inter have been near perfect this season and it seems like a formality that they will lift the Serie A trophy come May’s conclusion.

The 19-time champions of Italy are seven points clear of second-placed Juventus – with a game in hand over the Old Lady – and have dropped just nine points in the league all season.

They have once again turned their Milan home into a fortress, winning nine of their last 12 games at the Giuseppe Meazza in all competitions, conceding just six goals during that run.

And it is hard to see past another comfortable shutout victory, given that Salernitana’s last goal at Inter came back in 1998, while the visitors are also the second-lowest scorers in the division with just 20 goals to their name.

Marko Arnautovic to score anytime @ 5/4

Despite heading the anytime goalscorer market, it would be a surprise if Lautaro Martinez leads the line on Friday night given the continental task at hand against Atletico Madrid next week.

A changed front line including former Stoke and West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic could be on the cards, and the Austrian found the back of the net in his last start for the club, which came against Genoa in late December.

The 34-year-old will be hungry to seize his latest chance and he could be a tempting option to net over the course of the 90 minutes.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.