Davide Santon

Serie A has branded recent incidents of racial abuse in Italian football as ‘unacceptable’ and have vowed to do everything in their power to prevent any future episodes.

Inter received a two-match stadium ban earlier in the season after monkey chants were directed towards Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and the Nerazzurri have been charged with two more instances of racial abuse since. Juventus players Moise Kean and Blaise Matuidi were also subject to abuse from Cagliari supporters at the start of April, but no punishments have been handed out.

A spokesperson for ?Serie A has commented on the matter, saying (via ?ESPN): “Lega Serie A strongly condemns the racist episodes and the spreading of discriminatory chanting and violent images on social media as has occurred in these past few days.

“Sport should herald respect, inclusion and the togetherness in harmony — values which are at the base of the social initiatives Lega Serie A has always promoted.”

Critics, such as the organisation ??Kick It Out?, have suggested that Italian football doesn’t take the matter seriously enough and current punishments are far from suitable.

The spokesperson for Serie A claimed that the league is doing its best to rectify this and assured that everything will be done to kick racism out of Italian football.

“It is not acceptable to hear intolerant, verbal attacks in our stadiums and, like in the past, with recent modifications to the Sporting Justice code, thanks to the work from Lega Serie A and the FIGC, we will do everything in our power to supervise and prevent any similar incidents.”

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?Luciano Spalletti has admitted he felt his Inter side could’ve performed better as they played out a 1-1 draw with Roma at the San Siro.

The game began as an end-to-end affair with both sides looking to get forward, and it was Roma who went ahead in stunning fashion. Stephan El Shaarawy took on a shot from 20-yards out which left Samir Handanovic with no chance of saving it to give Roma a 1-0 lead just 14 minutes into the game.

?Inter hadn’t scored in any of their previous three home games in all competitions but after being left frustrated for an hour they finally ended their drought courtesy of an ?Ivan Perisic header from close range. Both sides pushed for a winner but neither team could find one as the game finished ?1-1. 

Speaking to the press after the game, via ?Gianluca Di Marzio, Spalletti admitted he felt a draw was the right result and claimed his side could’ve been more organised. He said: “The result is right, there were chances for us but we left space.

“We were not great at accepting and staying in order. Therefore, the result is fine after falling behind. In the second half we were more in order and had some patience. The risk is that when you go to tie the match, you make more confusion by bringing more men into the final third. 

“Roma played a good match but we could have done better at being more organised. But the result is fine for how the match went.”

The draw means that Inter keep their five-point cushion over arch rivals Milan in the ?Serie A standings with just five games left to play, although certainly missed out on the chance to extend the game and all-but cement their Champions League status for next season.

Instead, there’s still everything to play for as Inter now prepare to host recently-crowned Serie A champions Juventus next weekend.

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?Inter kept a firm grip on their five-point cushion in third place in Serie A after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Roma at the San Siro. 

The game began an end-to-end affair with both sides looking to get forward, and it was the visitors who got their noses in front after 15 minutes thanks to a superb solo effort from Stephan El Shaarawy. 

?Inter pushed for an equaliser and were denied by a number of good saves from Antonio Mirante in the first half, but Roma’s defence was finally breached on the hour mark with ?Ivan Perisic left unmarked at the back post to head home Danilo D’Ambrosio’s inviting ball in to get his side back on level terms.

Both sides pushed for a winning goal but neither could find one as the game finished 1-1, meaning Inter remain five points clear of ?Milan in the ?Serie A standings with just five games left to play.

INTER

Key Talking Point

Inter’s season has been plagued with inconsistency and they headed into the game having failed to score in any of their previous three home games in all competitions, but they looked a lot more threatening on Saturday night.

They finally ended their goal drought and they really should’ve scored more than just the one goal they got on the night, had it not been for Mirante between the sticks for Roma.

Although Inter may be left with a feeling of what could’ve been, given the fact that a win would’ve taken them seven points clear of fourth placed Milan, they also know that it could’ve been a whole lot worse had they have lost against Roma – who remain six points behind Luciano Spalletti’s men.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Handanovic (6); D’Ambrosio (7), de Vrij (7), Skriniar (6), Asamoah (8); Vecino (7), Valero (7); Politano (6), Nainggolan (5), Perisic (8); Martinez (7). 

Substitutes: Icardi (6), Mario (6), Balde (6). 

STAR MAN – It was a hard fought result for Inter, and nobody impacted the game more than Perisic.

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Although he hasn’t been at his best at times this season he certainly turned up on the night his team needed him and he made all the difference, getting the crucial equalising goal for his side. He’s been linked with a move to many of Europe’s top clubs in recent season, and today showed exactly why clubs are prepared to splash out on him.  

ROMA

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Mirante (6); Florenzi (6), Jesus (7), Fazio (6), Kolarov (7); Nzonzi (7), Cristante (5); Under (6), Pellegrini (6), El Shaarawy (7); Dzeko (7). 

Substitutes: Zaniolo (6), Kluivert (6).

Looking Ahead

The result will give Inter plenty of confidence going forward, but things don’t get any easier for them as they prepare to host the recently-crowned champions of Serie A Juventus on Saturday night. 

As for Roma, they too can take plenty of positives from the game into their clash with Cagliari on Saturday evening, looking to keep the pressure up on the league’s top three teams. 

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?The future of Inter striker Mauro Icardi remains an uncertain one as reports surface over a potential swap deal involving Juventus’ Paulo Dybala, although his agent and wife Wanda Nara insists he won’t be moving this summer. 

Icardi, 26, has endured a tumultuous season with Inter, as the Argentine forward has appeared 

to have fallen out with pretty much everyone at the club, including under-fire manager Luciano Spalletti. 

With his time at San Siro appearing to be running out, Tuttosport (via ?AS) have reported that a swap deal involving Juve forward, and fellow Argentine, ?Dybala has been discussed between sporting directors of the two clubs – Giuseppe Marotta of ?Inter and Fabio Parataci of ?Juventus. 

There are issues regarding the completion of the deal, with one being that Dybala – who has ten goals this season – remains a vital player in the eyes of Massimiliano Allegri, and has cold feet over a possible move to a fellow ?Serie A side. 

The second issue involves the valuations of the two players in question, with Dybala seen as significantly more expensive than ?Icardi – who has 16 goals across all competitions this season – resulting in a price disparity of between €40m-€50m that Inter would have to make up. 

As improbable as this deal already seems, Nara has dismissed talk of her husband leaving the Nerazzurri in the summer, insisting the former captain will remain at the club. 

“Mauro continues to score, he goes ahead because he is the strength of the family,” she told Verissimo, as quoted by ?Goal.

“Now he is calmer, he embraces everyone because he has always had a beautiful relationship with everyone. We will be here [at Inter] again next year.”

Inter face AS Roma this weekend as they look for a win to sure up their place in Serie A’s top four, while Juventus, who play Fiorentina, know a point will be enough to secure their eighth consecutive Italian league title. 

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Inter host Roma on Saturday night, as the two face off in a huge battle for the Champions League spots at San Siro.

The two sides are separated by two places and six points, with Inter currently on top in third place. Although Roma sit in fifth they are just one point off the top four, and a win in Milan could be decisive in their pursuit of a top four finish.

Inter come off the back of a big 3-1 win at Frosinone last Sunday, while Roma secured a vital 1-0 win over Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico. Saturday’s encounter is a must win for both sides, and victory for either side could be decisive in who qualifies for next season’s Champions League.

Where to Watch

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Team News

Roma travel to Milan without two notable absentees, though captain Daniele De Rossi should be able to start again. Davide Santon and Rick Karsdop are both ruled out through muscle injuries, but should both be available within the next few weeks.

Predicted Lineups

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Head to Head Record

?Inter and Roma have met 76 times before, with Inter just edging it. The Nerazzurri have prevailed 29 times in comparison to Roma’s 22 wins, while 25 of their meetings have ended all square.

Roma haven’t won any of their last four meetings with Inter, winning just one of their last four away games against them. This could be the first season where both encounters have ended in draws since the 2002/03 season, where Inter and Roma battled out 2-2 and 3-3 draws.

Recent Form

Inter are unbeaten in their last three games, having kept clean sheets in two of those games. They have lost just one of their last six league games, winning their most recent game 3-1 at Frosinone in a massive win for the Nerazzurri.

After a run of six games without a win across all competitions, Roma picked up back to back 1-0 victories against Sampdoria and Udinese. The Giallorossi picked up consecutive league clean sheets for the first time this season, as they continue to push for a top four finish.

Here’s how each team has performed in their last five fixtures.

Prediction

It is going to be a huge game for both sides, as with six games to play a win would be pivotal in their hopes of playing Champions League football next season. Roma could move up to fourth and within three points of Inter, while the Nerazzurri could close in on second place Napoli.

Though it will be an evenly fought game at San Siro, it looks like the hosts may just edge it. If Luciano Spalletti’s side can maintain their momentum from recent games and keep Roma’s attack quiet, then they can surely secure a crucial win at the top of the table.

Prediction: Inter 2-1 Roma

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