Serie A: It Was Good Until It Lasted for Torino

Inter Milan vs Torino

Torino raised eyebrows when they occupied the top spot of the Serie A table for a couple of days. However, after hitting a rough patch recently, that is no longer the case, as they slipped to fifth place.

Paolo Vanoli’s men were eliminated by Empoli 2-1 in the Coppa Italia second round and lost 3-2 to Lazio last weekend, but with 11 points in the first six matchdays, they are still in the Scudetto mix.

Inter Milan (and AC Milan) also have 11 points and are one notch above Torino. Simone Inzaghi’s side lost 2-1 during the Derby della Madonnina but bounced back with wins against Udinese and Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri may be favoured to win on Saturday night at San Siro, but they must have their guard up against a spirited Il Toro side.

 

Talking Points

Martinez back at it again for Inter Milan

If Inter Milan successfully defend their Scudetto, it’ll likely be on another fine campaign from their team captain Lautaro Martinez, who is arguably their best player.

The Argentine international recently ended his post-Copa America scoring drought that lasted 42 days when he recorded a brace in Inter Milan’s 3-2 victory against Udinese last Saturday.

And then, against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League last Tuesday, Martinez found the back of the net for the third time in two games across all competitions.

Up next for Martinez is ending his scoring slump at a Serie A home game because he has gone seven such games without finding the back of the net, which is his second-worst streak to date.

Lautaro Martinez will fancy his chances to do so against Torino alongside strike partner Marcus Thuram because he played fewer minutes than usual against Red Star Belgrade when head coach Simone Inzaghi started Mehdi Taremi and Marko Arnautovic.

In other Serie A 2024 news, influential midfielder Nicolo Barella is ruled out until after the international break because he is recovering from a thigh injury he picked up during the Derby della Madonnina.

Piotr Zielinski or Davide Frattesi will continue to deputise for Barella, with the former having started in their last match.

 

Milinkovic-Savic is crucial for Torino

Torino are expected to play on the back foot against Inter Milan, meaning that their goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will have a lot on his plate on Saturday.

The good news for Torino is that Milinkovic-Savic is up for the task. With him between the sticks, the team has notched three clean sheets already across all competitions.

According to xG data, Milinkovic-Savic has prevented more goals than anyone else across Europe’s top five leagues this season, and he’s also in the 99^th percentile in save percentage (81.8) and in the 95^th percentile in goals against per 90 (0.85).

The Serbian goalkeeper missed Torino’s 3-2 loss against Lazio due to a knee injury, but he should return against Inter Milan.

On the other side of the pitch, Il Toro will hope to draw out more production from their bargain summer signing, Che Adams. The Scotland international has hit three goals in his last three appearances.

 

History

Paolo Vanoli is all too familiar with Inter Milan, as he played a part in Nerazzurri’s Scudetto win as an assistant behind Antonio Conte.

Under his watch, Torino have won three of their opening six Serie A matches, and they’re aiming to make it four from seven for the first time since 2015. Il Toro are also undefeated on the road this season, with two wins and one draw.

Before losing to AC Milan in the Milan derby, Inter Milan had a 17-game undefeated run at San Siro in Serie A.

Inter Milan completed a league double over Torino last season via an aggregate tally of 5-0. The last time Torino got a point from this fixture was a 1-1 draw in March 2022.

 

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2024 odds have Inter Milan as the clear-cut winner of this contest. The Nerazzurri are 1.31 favourites, whereas Torino are 7.60 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.84 in the 1X2 market.

Their recent encounters suggest that there will be a handful of goals from this fixture. So, other than going for an Inter Milan victory, SBOTOP bettors might consider options like Over 2.50 at 1.68, Over 2.75 at 1.92, and Total Goal 2-3 at 2.03.

Any Correct Score in favour of Inter Milan doesn’t really offer much, but a win for the visitors should give you a payout of at least 21.00.

   

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