Inter Milan vs Atalanta: Match Previews, Odds & Predictions

Friday sees Inter Milan, the reigning champions, host Atalanta BC, their Lombardy rivals, at San Siro in an attempt to win back-to-back Serie A matches.

Inter bounced back from a shaky start to the 2024–25 season with a win against Lecce last week. La Dea lost in Turin after missing a last-second penalty.

Previous matches and head-to-head

After a slow start to their Scudetto defense—a 2-2 draw in Genoa earlier this month—Inter were eager to get back on track with a win last weekend in Milan against Lecce, who are projected to struggle in Serie A.

In the match's first five minutes, Matteo Darmian placed the Nerazzurri in the driver's seat. Hakan Calhanoglu scored a penalty, his seventeenth in a row in Serie A, to clinch the victory.

The second-city powerhouse has won every game in the last six seasons, and a straightforward 2-0 victory extended Inter's unbeaten home match record to twelve years.

After a rather lenient start to the schedule, Simone Inzaghi's squad will face one of the most challenging tests in Serie A in their last encounter before the international break.

The champions cruised to the championship with a perfect record against their top-five opponents. Inzaghi will be looking to keep that momentum going this term, beginning with Friday night's match against Atalanta.

They have recent history on their side, having beaten La Dea 4-0 at San Siro last season (Darmian also scored in that match) and not losing a league game against them since 2018.

After the September 21, 2023 game, Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini thanked the supporters.

When it comes to their Lombardy rivalry, Atalanta has lost all eleven of its league encounters against Inter. Inter is undoubtedly the better team.

Even though they lost to their fellow Nerazzurri, the Bergamo club is still a force to be reckoned with in Italy and beyond. Last season, they finished in the top five once again and won their first-ever European championship.

Gian Piero Gasperini, who had a short and disastrous tenure as Inter manager before, oversaw their remarkable Europa League victory. Still, a slow start to the new season is doubtful due to a difficult transfer market.

Atalanta bounced back from their UEFA Super Cup loss to Real Madrid with a 4-0 league opening victory against Lecce, despite talents like Teun Koopmeiners and Ademola Lookman attempting to arrange an escape and other important individuals suffering from injuries.

But last time out, Mario Pasalic missed a penalty in stoppage time that would have given his team a 2-2 tie with Torino, even if new acquisition Mateo Retegui scored again.

While their home, the Gewiss Stadium, is undergoing renovations, the Bergamaschi will now have to endure yet another away match, which might prove to be the most challenging of all.

Inter Milan x Atalanta Team News

This week, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi may again be without captain Lautaro Martinez due to a muscle issue that has plagued Capocannoniere since last season. Capocannoniere is still hoping to be benched.

Despite opposition from Marko Arnautovic, former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi should start up front with Marcus Thuram after starting against Lecce.

While Piotr Zielinski and Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij have both returned to full training, Tajon Buchanan's leg injury has kept him out of action.

El Bilal Toure just departed for Stuttgart, goalkeeper Juan Musso is going to Atletico Madrid, and Teun Koopmeiners is going to Juventus. Ademola Lookman, who was a star in the Europa League, is also waiting for a possible move. Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta's coach, will have to fill a number of gaps in his roster.

In addition, Sead Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker won't be able to play this weekend, while Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca have both been out for quite some time.

While Rui Patricio and Juan Cuadrado bring experience to the team, Raoul Bellanova, another newcomer, will compete with Davide Zappacosta for the starting wing-back position.

In the final third, Mateo Retegui finds ex-Milan striker Charles De Ketelaere, who has scored three goals in La Dea's first two Serie A games.

Our predictions

Inter Milan to win @ 1.70 on Sky247.ng

Even if Inter haven't reached their best form from last season (which is understandable given how early in the season it is), they should be able to defeat the unpredictable Atalanta.

La Dea had a storming finale to 2023–24, but since then, they've seen squad disruptions and are occasionally taken off guard.

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