Inter Milan vs Lazio
Inter Milan and Lazio travel to the parched oasis of Saudi Arabia to compete in a newly formatted Supercoppa Italiana.
Napoli and Fiorentina will be the first outfits to be featured in the Supercoppa Italiana 2023 news headlines, as they will be the opening match of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri has been close to perfect for his team, who made a complete 180 to their pedestrian season and are now striving not just in the top flight but across multiple competitions as well.
Inter, on the other hand, continue their dominance and are adamant on keeping their squad intact for the second half of the season. Inter, the defending Supercoppa Italiana champions, will start their title defence against a thriving Lazio, who are less than eager to participate in a four-team tournament amidst a stacked January slate.
Talking Points
Lazio mounting a comeback, but is Supercoppa a priority?
Lazio didn’t have the greatest of starts in their current campaign, slipping down as low as the 11th spot in the Italian top flight table after Matchday 13.
To be fair, the Eagles came into this season with high expectations after finishing as runner-ups to Napoli in the 2022–23 season, which also gave them the ticket to compete in the Supercoppa Italiana.
But recently, Maurizio Sarri and his boys have mounted a convincing comeback, winning four straight Serie A matchdays, advancing to the Coppa Italia semi-final by defeating the ailing La Lupa, and even advancing to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League.
I guess it’s safe to say that the Eagles are back!
It’s clear as day that Sarri and the Eagles are keen on climbing the top flight table, as well as performing well against the European giants in the Champions League. But what is their mindset coming into the Supercoppa Italiana?
Well, Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri made strong opinions about the tournament, saying, “Everyone knows what I think, that this tournament is about anything other than sport. You take the money and run.”
The Supercoppa Italiana format recently changed from a one-off match between the winners of the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia holders in pre-season to a Final Four, with the participants being the winners and runners-up in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
Sarri exclaimed his lack of interest in the Supercoppa Italiana, especially because it will now be played abroad in Saudi Arabia.
“The Supercoppa is a trophy used by a coach to say he won something, it doesn’t help the club to grow. I would like to win something that helps the club too.”
Lazio will face the Old Lady for the semi-final clash in Riyadh on Friday evening. Expect an unenthusiastic but driven Maurizio Sarri on the sidelines.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Aside from signing wingback Tajon Buchanan as a necessary replacement for Juan Cuardado, it was reported that the Nerazzurri are not planning to make any more January signings.
Inter are confident that their squad is where it needs to be to close out the second half of the season. And with results backing up their statement, who could blame them?
The Nerazzurri are close to pulling away from Juventus; they are the current favourites to win the Scudetto and are slowly pulling away from the perseverant Juventus.
The only blemish to their stellar campaign is their Coppa Italia Round of 16 fumble against Bologna, which disqualifies them from replicating their 2009-10 treble season.
Nonetheless, the Old Lady will take a crack at Lazio in an attempt to defend their Supercoppa Italiana title; expect fireworks.
History
These icons in the Italian football world are quite familiar with each other, having faced one another 48 times across all competitions since 2003.
In their past head-to-heads, The Old Lady won the majority with 23 victories. The Eagles claimed victory 14 times and were able to tally 11 draws to boot.
There isn’t a shortage of goals when these rivals share the pitch, as they’ve netted a whopping total of 126 goals across all competitions, with Inter netting 74 goals and Lazio contributing 52 goals to their tally.
In their most recent matchup, Inter Milan managed to steal a win at Stadio Olimpico with a 0-2 score line, thanks to Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
The Old Lady’s offencive superiority shined when they visited Lazio in Rome. Inzaghi’s boys tallied 125 attacks to Lazio’s 69. And it didn’t help the Roman side that Manuel Lazzari was sent off in the crucial minutes of the match due to a red card.
Betting Tip
Given where they are in their domestic form, the Supercoppa Italiana 2023 odds have Inter as the heavy favourites with a price of 1.65 to win this semifinal clash. With the Old Lady pulling away in the Italian top flight, it’s no wonder why SBOTOP has them as the distinct favourites to advance to the finals.
In my opinion, it’s completely understandable if punters decide to go with their 1X2 price of 1.65, but Inter’s Asian Handicap line of -0.75 at 1.87 may pose significant value, especially with how much their offence has been ramping up recently.
Another modest line to keep an eye on is the total goals over 2.25 and 1.77. The Eagles’ offence has been surgical and precise all season long, scoring just 24 goals after 20 top-flight matches. Meanwhile, The Old Lady boast the best goal-scoring bunch in Italy, having a total of 49 top-flight goals to their name after 20 matches. 11 goals clear of AC Milan’s 38, the second-best offence in Serie A.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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