Sampdoria vs Inter Milan: Preview and Prediction

Sampdoria vs Inter Milan
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 30 October 2016
Kick-Off: 19:45 UK,
Venue: Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Genoa).

Two struggling sides will hope to relaunch themselves as they meet at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this Sunday.

For Sampdoria, any joy after a 2-1 win in the Derby della Lanterna against Genoa was quickly ended following a 4-1 loss to Juventus. Prior to the defeat, Samp had put together three matches without a defeat (two draws, one win) and appeared to be slowly working their way back up the table after hitting a rough patch. They now will have to regroup against Inter, who have had their own share of disappointment and frustration this term.

The Nerazzurri arrive in Genoa having managed to end a three match losing streak by beating Torino 2-1 – and arguably gave Frank de Boer yet another stay of execution in the process. Still, Inter were gifted that win by some major head-scratching decisions made by Joe Hart, who still appears prone to some shocking gaffes in between the posts.

Nonetheless, despite the off-the-pitch issues with fans, Captain Mauro Icardi continues to do what he does best: scoring goals. The Argentinian international has time and time been the one to bail Inter out, and that is something that even the most rabid and currently angry ultra-simply cannot dispute – as hard as they just may try after his “controversial” statements in a recently released autobiography.

Icardi has netted eight goals so far. That’s well over half of the team’s total of 13. And it was him, yet again, to save the day for the Nerazzurri with a brace. That does not bode well for a Sampdoria side who have struggled to keep a clean sheet. In fact, they have yet to record a shutout at home. Inter, however, has their own defensive woes and in fact, have scored as many as they have conceded.

Sampdoria vs Inter Milan: Head-to-head statistics

• Sampdoria are 2-7-11 in their last 20 home games against teams above them in the league table.
• Inter, meanwhile, are 11-4-5 in their last 20 away games against teams below them in the table.
• The Nerazzurri have lost just one out of their last 12 games against Sampdoria across all competitions.
• Sampdoria have conceded at least once in each of their last nine Serie A games.
• Sampdoria last beat Inter back in March 2015; that was the first time since September 2009 they had managed to defeat the Nerazzurri.

Sampdoria vs Inter Milan: Prediction

Both sides have less than strong defenses. Inter have shipped 13, whilst Sampdoria have conceded 16. They have also failed to keep a single clean sheet at home this season. This has all the makings of an end-to-end match. Only 20 per cent of Inter’s matches have seen one side fail to score, whilst about three-quarters of Sampdoria’s games have had each side find the back of the net.

Four out of Inter’s past five games have seen over 2.5 goals and this does have all the makings of a high-scoring draw. The hosts will be eager to make amends after their heavy loss, which could leave them exposed at the back, whilst the Nerazzurri will hope to make it two wins on the trot.