Inter Milan vs Genoa
Reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan are set to kick off the defence of their title as they host Genoa in their season opener.
It has been a tumultuous summer for the Italian champions as they suffered a host of high-profile departures that have seen their Serie A 2021 odds of holding onto their crown take a huge hit.
Nevertheless, the Nerazzurri will look to welcome back their fans at the San Siro with a win over Genoa, who have also lost some key players over the summer.
Talking Points
Intense summer of change for Inter
It has been an absolutely disastrous summer for Inter Milan. Due to their owners Suning’s financial woes, the club were forced to sell two of their biggest stars in Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku, with Lautaro Martinez possibly off to Tottenham if the Harry Kane-to-Manchester City deal pushes through.
Of course, title-winning coach Antonio Conte was the first one out the door, and he has since been replaced by former Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi.
Inzaghi will have a tough task ahead of him this season with all the talent that has already left the squad. Lukaku and Hakimi combined for 31 goals and 19 assists last season, which will be very difficult to replace. Christian Eriksen, who could have stepped up to a bigger role, is also out indefinitely after his serious medical incident at the Euros.
But despite the departures of Lukaku and Hakimi, there is still considerable talent in this Inter side. With Lauatro Martinez suspended, new signing Edin Dzeko is expected to lead the line. He and fellow newcomer Hakan Calhanoglu, who arrives from rivals Milan on a free transfer, will offer decent attacking options for Inzaghi.
Meanwhile, the heart of midfield and the defence remain unchanged with the likes of Nicolo Barella, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni, and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic – one of the top captains in Italy – all set to be key contributors.
Genoa lose key goalscoring duo
Genoa are set to start their 14th straight season in the Italian top-flight after a midseason turnaround to avoid relegation last season.
Il Grifone were in the relegation zone with just one win from their first 12 games, which led to the sacking of coach Rolando Maran. Davide Ballardini took charge for his fourth spell at the club just before Christmas and guided Genoa to 10 wins in his 27 games in charge.
Ballardini will have a new goalkeeper with the arrival of Euro 2020 winner Salvatore Sirigu, who joins from Torino on a free transfer. Sirigu is expected to take over as first-choice keeper from Mattia Perin, whose loan from Juventus has ended.
However, Genoa have lost two of their top strikers from last season in Eldor Shomurodov, who has moved on to Roma, and Gianluca Scamacca, who is back at Sassuolo after a successful loan spell. The two scored each goals apiece for the Grifone last season and will be sorely missed.
Their departures will put even more pressure on Mattia Destro to carry the load offensively. The 29-year-old surprisingly scored 11 goals last season after scoring just 10 goals in the previous four Serie A seasons.
Meanwhile, Goran Pandev added seven goals and three assists in 29 games. But at age 38, it remains to be seen whether the former Inter player can still play at a consistently high level.
History
Inter have gotten the better of Genoa in their recent league head-to-heads. The Nerazzurri have won their last six meetings, scoring three or more goals in five of those games.
Lukaku absolutely loved playing against Genoa. The Belgian scored six goals in his four games against them, including one in the very first minute in Inter’s 3-0 win over the Grifone at San Siro.
Inter have lost just one of their last 34 Serie A home games against Genoa, with Grifone’s last win at San Siro coming in March 1994.
Betting Tip
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Inter Milan vs Genoa | Under 3.00 @ 1.84 |
| August 22, (00:30 GMT+8) |
Despite the major changes in the club, SBOTOP odds have still installed Inter Milan as 1.35 favourites to win their season opener. Meanwhile, Genoa are priced at 8.50 to pull off an upset, with a draw at 4.70.
Inter will obviously be a much different team with no Lukaku, Hakimi, or Lautaro, who were their three best attacking players last season. There will surely be some sort of bedding-in period for Inzaghi to get his system instilled into the side, so Inter may have some growing pains going forward.
But their defence remains quite strong, and with Genoa losing two of their top strikers, this match has the makings of a low-scoring affair.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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