One of the most fiercely debated title races in recent Serie A history is set to take a brief intermission as the Supercoppa Italiana steps into the spotlight. Inter Milan, victors of the last three editions, aim for a historic fourth consecutive triumph. Achieving this would allow Inter to match Juventus with nine overall wins. However, they must first overcome Atalanta, who are currently leading the Serie A standings, in their semi-final clash.
Simone Inzaghi’s squad is considered the favourite in this Riyadh encounter, and rightly so, as they have secured victories in their last four games without conceding a goal. This is merely the surface of the scorching form of the Nerazzurri, whose sole defeat in their past 18 matches across all competitions was against Bayer Leverkusen (W15, D2). Moreover, they remain unbeaten in 13 encounters with other Italian teams (W11, D2).
Atalanta stand out as one of the few teams in Europe’s elite top-five leagues capable not only of matching Inter’s form, but surpassing it, given that their sole defeat in 19 competitive outings came against the European champions, Real Madrid (W15, D3). The last Italian team to overcome La Dea was the newly-promoted Como back in September (W12, D2), although Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad had their domestic 12-match winning streak halted by a 1-1 draw with Lazio over the weekend.
Securing a victory would not only propel Atalanta into contention for their inaugural Supercoppa Italiana title but also mark their debut appearance in the competition’s final. Despite their impressive run, Gasperini’s side might require a stroke of luck to succeed here, as they have been unable to win in the past 13 head-to-head encounters (D5, L8), which includes a current six-match losing streak during which they have conceded a total of 19 goals.
Key players to keep an eye on: Marcus Thuram scored twice in the second half when Inter triumphed over Atalanta 4-0 earlier this season, with eight of his last 12 goals coming after the break. If Atalanta starts strongly, Ademola Lookman could play a crucial role later in the game, as he has scored his team’s second goal in four of his last six matches where he found the net.
Noteworthy statistic: In five of Inter’s last six games, there have been more goals scored after the interval than before.
