It may no longer be a title decider, but this will be an important match for both Inter and Roma, with the Nerazzurri aiming to maintain their nine-point lead at the top of the table, while the Giallorossi can't lose touch with fourth-placed Fiorentina...
Kick Off: Sunday 1 March, 20:45 CET, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan.
Crunch Time
With the first legs of the Champions League ties last 16 behind us, it can finally be said that the crucial, and therefore most exciting, stage of the season is under way. In perhaps the biggest match of the round it was Jose Mourinho v Sir Alex Ferguson all over again as the Special One’s Inter hosted Manchester United at the San Siro. It was one of three Anglo-Italian face-offs in this round, and it wasn’t a successful week at all for the Italian sides, as the Nerazzurri were the only ones that avoided a defeat, but like Juventus and Roma they didn’t manage to score.
The first half between Inter and United can only be described as an onslaught from the Club World Champions that Inter miraculously managed to survive - the English side showing an embarrassing superiority both psychologically and in their football. Once again, the Italian champions disappointed with their scared, submissive approach to a big European match, but they did manage to improve in the second half, creating at least three good chances to score. Overall though, the Reds had the most and better chances, and would have deserved a victory.
Meanwhile, at the Emirates Stadium Arsenal welcomed Roma in what promised to be a highly enjoyable match between two sides known for their stylish football. In this match too, it was evident that the top sides in the Premier League are simply stronger than their Serie A counterparts at the moment. Even though they were coming off an inconsistent run in the league, the Gunners created by far the most chances, and won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a Robin Van Persie penalty late in the first half.
The good news is that both teams still have a decent chance to make it through, and that also goes for current Serie A runners-up Juventus, who lost 1-0 away to Chelsea. It is too early now to say whether the Premier League sides have won this much anticipated confrontation with Serie A clubs, but at the same time the English sides all remain firm favourites to make it through following the first-leg results.
For now it’s back to Serie A action for Inter and Roma, who meet on Sunday evening at San Siro. With a nine-point lead on top of the table, the Nerazzurri look to be cruising towards a third consecutive Scudetto on the pitch, but unlike past years, this fixture will not be a decisive match in the title race.
No Longer A Title Decider
Since the infamous Calciopoli scandals that left Juventus and to a lesser degree Milan picking up the pieces, Inter and Roma have been the sides fighting it out for the Scudetto. The Nerazzurri triumphed in both 2007 and 2008, the first time with five matches to spare (so in that case it wasn’t much of a fight) and the second time only on the final matchday, but this season Roma have been unable to stay close to the top of the table at any stage due to a horrible start.
At one point they even lost five consecutive matches in all competitions, which is the kind of nightmare run that almost automatically condemns a team to say goodbye to their season’s main objectives. There’s no doubt the Giallorossi initially aimed to challenge for the title, after coming within half an hour of winning it last season, but a combination of injuries and poor form saw them under-perform in the crucial first couple of months of the season. At the moment, Luciano Spalletti’s side are battling it out for a Champions League spot, which is currently only two points away.
That has left an improved Juventus and Milan to keep the Scudetto race alive, but as said before, the Nerazzurri look unstoppable when it comes to Serie A. However, surely a defeat to Roma would liven up things a bit, as it would allow Juventus to move within six points if they win, so this is certainly one of the most important fixtures for Inter in this last part of the Serie A season.
Recent matches between these two sides have been unpredictable. Inter have tended to perform better at the Stadio Olimpico than at home, winning 4-0 there this season and 4-1 last term. The two teams met at San Siro in January for the single-leg Coppa Italia quarter finals, where Inter gave a convincing performance and won 2-1 thanks to goals by Adriano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, last season in Serie A Inter needed a last-minute wonder goal from captain Javier Zanetti to get a draw in this fixture and maintain a nine-point lead on top of the table. Also last summer’s Italian Supercup match, Mourinho’s first as Inter coach, finished in a 2-2 draw, although that was a match the Nerazzurri deserved to win, which they eventually did on penalties.
In the end, it was that league match which pretty much proved the difference between these two sides last season, as Inter only finished three points above Roma to claim their 16th Scudetto. Still, the fact that they at one point had an 11-point lead on top and only won the title in the last match will likely keep the players and fans on their toes right until the end, which will probably only help them to avoid complacency.
TEAM NEWS
Inter
Inter only have defender Walter Samuel out injured.
Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Cordoba, Chivu, Santon; Vieira, Cambiasso, Zanetti; Stankovic; Adriano, Ibrahimovic.
Roma
Christian Panucci could be back for this one after reportedly apologising to coach Luciano Spalletti following their recent fall-out. Meanwhile, Marco Cassetti, Alberto Aquilani and Juan, who will likely be replaced by Panucci in defence, are out injured.
Possible formation (4-2-3-1): Doni; Motta, Mexes, Panucci, Tonetto; Perrotta, De Rossi; Brighi, Pizarro, Totti; Vucinic.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)
In the earlier match this season between these two sides at the Stadio Olimpico, where Inter triumphed 4-0, the Swede scored two well-taken goals early in the first and second halves, before Dejan Stankovic and Victor Obinna rounded off the scoring. That shows he is not quite the big game flop he is often made out to be, but it must be said he disappointed against Manchester United. While the whole team looked a shadow of the dominant side we see every week in Serie A, which obviously made it very difficult for him, he failed to come up with any dangerous individual moves. His big chance will of course come in the second leg against United, but Inter need to improve as a whole for him to be able to express himself.
Francesco Totti (Roma)
It’s been a quieter season than usual for the Roma captain, although a number of fitness problems have allowed him to make just 14 appearences in Serie A, during which he has found the net six times. For the first time in a long while, he is not the team’s top scorer, as he has scored two less than Mirko Vucinic. Perhaps this relative lack of goals has something to do with the fact he is no longer playing as a lone striker due to Vucinic’s good form, but he remains Roma’s deadliest player. He also has a good goalscoring record against Inter, so Julio Cesar will definitely have to watch out for him.
