Inter Milan vs. Palermo Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy 2:45 PM EST Thursday October 29. 2009
By Jason Green at Predictem.com
Inter Milan is in 1st place in the Italy Serie A league and they host a Palermo squad that has won 3 matches in a row. Inter is back at the top of the league table, as they lead surprising Sampdoria by 2 points and are 4 points ahead of Juventus. Palermo has climbed up the league table with their recent solid play and now they are in 4th place. Inter Fans are sued to their team winning in the league, but they are still struggling in Champions League play.
Palermo does not have a good record at San Siro, as since they returned to Serie A in 2004 they have 3 draws and 2 losses. Their defense is playing well, as they have only allowed 2 goals in their last 4 matches. They will need to continue that trend since Inter has scored the most goals in the league this season (21). Palermo will also have a tough time scoring since Inter has allowed the 2nd fewest goals in the league (6).
Both teams have not lost in their last 5 matches. The win over Juventus 3 matches ago may have given Palermo a ton of confidence and if they can win this game they may challenge for q top 4 finish in the league, which would mean an automatic Champions League berth.
Inter Milan is the big home favorite in this match posted at 1.45 with Palermo posted as the away underdog at 7.50 with a draw at 3.85.
Inter Milan Recent Form:
10/24/2009 Inter 2 Catania 1 (Serie A)
10/20/2009 Inter 2 Dynamo Kiev 2 (Champions League)
10/17/2009 Genoa 0 Inter 5 (Serie A)
10/3/2009 Inter 2 Udinese 1 (Serie A)
9/29/2009 Rubin Kazan 1 Inter 1 (Champions League)
Palermo Recent Form:
10/25/2009 Palermo 1 Udinese 0 (Serie A)
10/18/2009 Livorno 1 Palermo 2 (Serie A)
10/4/2009 Palermo 2 Juventus 0 (Serie A)
9/27/2009 Lazio 1 Palermo 1 (Serie A)
9/23/2009 Roma 3 Palermo 3 (Serie A)
Inter’s Wesely Sneijder will not play in this match due to a thigh injury and Esteban Cambiasso is also out and Patrick Vieira will take his place in the midfield. Thiago Motta is back for this match.
Palermo’s Federico Balzaretti and Levan Mchedlidze are both out for this match due to injury. GK Rubinho will be held out of this game as a precautionary measure and Cesare Bovo and Moris Carrozzieri are both suspended and will not play in this match.
Palermo will start backup Salvatore Sirigu in goal and he will have to have a solid match for Palermo to win.
Inter has won many of their matches since they have a stellar midfield. If they control that area of the field they will be in great shape.
He does not get a lot of press, but Inter G Julio Cesar has been great this season and he anchors Inter’s stellar defense.
Inter has a huge Champions League match next week in Kiev, which they pretty much have to win to make it to the knockout phase. They cannot look past Palermo to that match, as they are a dangerous team that is playing with a lot of confidence.
Inter striker Diego Milito has 5 goals this season and Palermo has to mark him all match long. Inter’s big off-season addition was adding star striker Samuel Eto’o, who only has 3 goals, but is still dangerous and a threat to score on long runs.
Fabrizio Miccoli is an exciting playmaker for Palermo and he has to play well in this match. He has to give the away squad some offense in this game.
Jason’s Pick: Palermo has had major trouble at the San Siro in the past few seasons and even though they are playing well I think that trend will continue. Inter is simply too strong on both offense and defense, as I see them easily winning this game by a score of 3-0.
