AS Roma vs. Inter Milan: A Clash of Titans (or at Least Attempted Titans)
Ah, Serie A! Where the football is nearly as dramatic as the wardrobe choices of its fans. And what better way to showcase this than with a Sunday evening extravaganza at the Stadio Olimpico, where AS Roma welcomes Inter Milan for an encounter that promises to be as entertaining as watching paint dry… if that paint was actually a metaphor for competitive football.
Let’s talk about Roma, those passionate people from the eternal city, who, for some reason, think they can summon the ghosts of glory days past! In the last decade, the Nerazzurri have bested the Giallorossi in six out of ten encounters. A delightful stat for Inter fans, not so much for the Romans. And guess who’s going to be officiating this test of skill and sanity? The lovable Davide Massa—who, according to his previous two years reffing Roma matches, might need a protective bubble when he steps onto the pitch this Sunday.
The last time Roma emerged victorious against Inter was in this very round two years ago, but if we’re honest, that’s about as useful as knowing how to make a perfect espresso—great for bragging rights, but where’s the consistency? The Giallorossi have been under a storm of criticism following the ejection of their beloved De Rossi, replaced by Ivan Jurić, who’s trying to make waves. Unfortunately, so far they appear to be more like ripples in a shallow pond. Missing out to Swedish minnows Elfsborg in the cups? Ouch. But that’s not the worst of it! Anyone witnessing the recent matches against Udinese and Monza would be left fumbling for words—if ‘fumbling’ mean preparing for the act of reviewing your life choices, of course.
To amplify this melodrama, the hard-core Curva Sud fans have decided to boycott the first fifteen minutes of the match as a protest against what they call “chaotic management.” Perhaps they’ve mistaken football for a Netflix documentary? Meanwhile, Jurić will be scrambling to find some divine inspiration, especially with Paulo Dybala back from injury—just in time to help save a sinking ship, or at least stop it from taking on more water.
On to Inter Milan, who are currently sitting two points adrift of table-toppers Napoli. Coach Simone Inzaghi must be pondering how, despite putting up a good show—including a delightful victory against FC Turin thanks to Marcus Thuram’s hat trick—they still find themselves in such a precarious position. Their offense is stronger than a double espresso, with an impressive 16 goals, though their defense could do with a little more… well, keeping goals out of the net. Nine conceded is not a figure to be proud of, lads, not unless you’re in a pyrotechnics show.
So, what can we expect from the line-ups? Here’s a cheeky glance:
AS Roma – probable line-up:
Svilar – Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso – Çelik, Koné, Cristante, Angeliño – Dybala, Pellegrini – Dovbyk
Inter Milan – probable line-up:
Sommer – Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni – Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mchitarjan, Dimarco – Lautaro Martinez, Thuram
As for the betting odds? It’s a bit like playing Russian roulette with your life savings! The numbers are 4.24 – 3.81 – 1.84, which, depending on how you look at it, could mean your chance of winning big—or ending up with a sad little zero.
Tip EuroFotbal.cz: 2
In conclusion, whether you’re a dedicated supporter, a casual watcher, or someone who just loves to see fancy footwork and dramatic failure, this match is set to deliver—if only for the sheer unpredictability of it all. Will AS Roma rise from the ashes like a phoenix, or are we looking at yet another Inter Milan clinic on how to win with style? Join me on this rollercoaster, folks, while we cheer, jeer, and maybe just shake our heads in disbelief.
Serie A kept the biggest hit of the eighth round for Sunday evening, a slot reserved for the biggest shows. This time, the Stadio Olimpico in Rome will take center stage, where two traditional Italian football teams, AS and Inter Milan, will meet. And the hosts definitely have something to give him back.
The Romans have not been doing well against Inter for a long time. In the last ten years of long and hard battles, the Nerazzurri have lost to AS only four times. Improving this balance is not very likely this time either, because this time one more man speaks to it. Davide Massa was appointed as the referee for this explosive and dramatic duel. And he does not bring much luck to the Romans. For two years under his arbitration, the Romans did not win. However, even in this statistic they can find at least some hope. The last victory dated just two years ago in the eighth round was at the expense of Inter.
However, the current AS does not look like a team that would be able to play with Inter as equals. The Giallorossi received an enormous wave of criticism for the dismissal of the popular De Rossi, who was replaced by coach Ivan Jurić. And even under him, the desired change, which the management relied on in the statement about the new coach, has not yet come. We can mention the embarrassment in the cups, when AS lost on the ground of Swedish Elfsborg. Jurić’s reputation isn’t helped much by the league’s recent faltering.
After a clearly dominated match with Udinese, to which AS scored three goals at home, they barely and with great luck defeated the newcomer from Venice. And in the last round, it failed to beat struggling Monza, who are spending the first weeks of the new year at the bottom of the table. The fact that the hard core of Curva Sud fans will boycott the first fifteen minutes of the duel with Inter in protest against the management’s chaotic actions will probably not lift the players’ spirits.
However, coach Jurić is determined to give the best of himself and his boys. He will also be helped by Paulo Dybala, who is returning after another injury (he has already missed 34 games since joining AS). However, Alexis Saelemaekers and Stephan El Shaarawy remain on the sidelines. Inter can partially celebrate as the engine of the reserve line and one of the difference players Nicoló Barella reports a return. However, Piotr Zieliński, who brought an injury from the national team meeting, will definitely miss the match.
Also, Inter will have a big reason to get three points. Coach Simone Inzaghi does not intend to panic, but it is a fact that everyone currently puts Inter in first place. But we won’t find Inter on it, it belongs to the second place with a loss of two points to the leader Napoli. The offense is showing very well so far, having already scored 16 goals and nobody in the entire league did better.
However, the defense could work on their statement, as Inter have already scored nine goals. And in this regard, Juventus, Napoli, Empoli, AS Roma and Fiorentina are better in football. The Nerazzurri are performing very well in the Champions League so far and followed up the opening valuable draw with Manchester City with a clear win over Crvena Zvezda. In the league, they followed up this performance (a 4:0 victory) with a slightly more difficult opponent, but even the match with FC Turin was finally able to lead to a winning finish thanks to Marcus Thuram’s hat trick. They will also bet on Thuram’s skills at Olimpico, after all, he is the best scorer in the league.
AS Roma – probable line-up:
Svilar – Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso – Çelik, Koné, Cristante, Angeliño – Dybala, Pellegrini – Dovbyk
Inter Milan – probable line-up:
Sommer – Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni – Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mchitarjan, Dimarco – Lautaro Martinez, Thuram
Tipsport odds: 4.24 – 3.81 – 1.84
Tip EuroFotbal.cz: 2
