Although Inter’s start to the season certainly hasn’t been perfect, after the last round of matches they went top of the table again. A last minute goal from Wesley Sneijder allowed them to beat Udinese at home, while Sampdoria, who are now first along with the Nerazzurri, drew at home against Parma and Juventus suffered a major setback with a 2-0 defeat at Palermo.
It remains to be seen whether that will prove to be a turning point in the season. In past campaigns Inter have almost always managed to keep hold of the top spot for the rest of the season after reaching it. In fact, their start to the term has been very similar to past seasons, when they always needed a bit of time to get going before hitting their stride.
It seems little has changed since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left. However, a number of new attacking players have arrived, such as Sneijder, Milito and Samuel Eto’o. Many pundits expected Inter to start playing more as a team, but they are still heavily dependent on the individual class of their attackers, while their style hasn’t changed significantly. This is especially evident in the Champions League, where they continue to struggle.
However, it looks set to be a tough season for Inter in Serie A. The defeat to Palermo takes little away from Juventus’ threat, and winning this difficult tie could be of crucial importance – Ciro Ferrara’s team also have a tough match at home against Fiorentina, who are third in the table at the moment.
Genoa Continue To Impress
Despite selling a few big-name players like Thiago Motta and Diego Milito last summer, Genoa have continued where they left off last term. Aside from a couple of defeats against Udinese and Chievo, the Grifoni have done well and are now just three points below leaders Inter. If they beat the Nerazzurri in Saturday night’s match they will have a chance to catch them on top of the table.
After impressively finishing fifth last season, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men will be full of confidence and they could end up challenging for an even higher position this time around. However, they will be a little frustrated that their cross-town rivals Sampdoria have done even better than them, as the Blucerchiati currently share the top spot with Inter.
On the European stage, they have looked good, despite this being just their second appearance at continental level. In the first match of the group stage, they beat Slavia Prague 2-0 at home, and most recently they gave Valencia a mighty scare at the Mestalla. They initially took the lead with a goal from Sergio Floccari just before the break, but strikes by David Silva and Nikola Zigic early in the second half turned the match on its head. Houssine Kharja then equalized with a penalty for Genoa, but David Villa scored the winner with another spot kick late on.
Against Inter, the Grifoni will try to confirm their strength at home, where they are still unbeaten. They will try to obtain another prestigious result after the 3-2 win against Roma on the first matchday and the recent 2-2 draw against Juventus.
TEAM NEWS
Genoa
After badly injuring his left knee during a friendly against the youth team, midfielder Houssine Kharja will be out for around six months. Ivan Juric is a doubt for this one, while Bosko Jankovic, Domenico Criscito, Giuseppe Biava and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are also unavailable. Finally, Giandomenico Mesto is suspended.
Possible formation (3-4-3): Amelia; Tomovic, Bocchetti, Moretti; Rossi, Zapater, Milanetto, Modesto; Sculli, Crespo, Palacio.
Inter
Samuel Eto’o’s place is in doubt after he injured his right foot on international duty. With Diego Milito also out injured, Inter’s attack will likely be composed of Mario Balotelli and David Suazo. Thiago Motta and Marco Materazzi are also still out.
Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Sneijder; Balotelli, Suazo.
PREDICTION
Genoa is a tough place to go at the best of times. In a weekend after International games it is even more difficult. With the injuries we have up front I will be very happy with a draw here.
Genoa 0-0 Inter
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