Inter Milan vs Monza

Serie A leaders Inter Milan will welcome Monza, their neighbors from Lombardy, to San Siro on Saturday in an attempt to widen the distance between their three close chasers.

Inter took a first-leg advantage in their Champions League match after losing a crucial victory over Napoli last weekend. They now aim to defeat the team that finished lowest in the top league.

When the Scudetto rivals faced off in Naples last Saturday night, Inter, who had just surpassed their rivals Napoli in the battle to keep their Serie A title, lost a great opportunity to change the tide.

'El Toro' not only brought his team closer to the quarter-finals but also cemented his place in Inter's history as their top scorer in the Champions League or European Cup, with 18 goals to his name.

Inzaghi and his squad remain in contention on three fronts, with a Coppa Italia semi-final against city rivals AC Milan on the horizon next month, as well as a fiercely competitive title race. Heading into this matchday, they hold just a six-point lead over fourth-placed Juventus—the narrowest margin at this stage of a season in the 21st century.

Having secured maximum points from their last three league matches in Milan, Inter now set their sights on achieving four consecutive home victories for the first time in nearly a year.

Their 1-1 draw in September’s reverse fixture—where Denzel Dumfries salvaged a late equalizer—serves as a warning not to underestimate Monza, despite their lower standing in the league.

With 11 games left, the Nerazzurri were on track to lead by four points thanks to a fantastic free kick from Federico Dimarco, but they lost a late equalizer and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Simone Inzaghi's team woke up for Wednesday's journey to Rotterdam, where Feyenoord was their host at De Kuip, following a sluggish performance that relied on last-ditch defending and had no goal opportunities at all after halftime.

Marcus Thuram scored the opening goal just before halftime, and his strike partner Lautaro Martinez scored the second goal in only five minutes of the second half, giving them a 2-0 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 matchup.

Both clubs have struggled to match their performances from last season. Monza, currently at the bottom of the table, have managed to secure only 14 points so far, which is 22 fewer than they had at this stage last year. Meanwhile, despite leading the league, Inter have also seen a decline, collecting 14 fewer points compared to the same point in the previous campaign.

Alessandro Nesta, Monza’s manager and a former Milan defender, is set to return to San Siro with his team in a dire state. Monza’s confidence is at an all-time low, and their prospects of avoiding relegation to Serie B appear increasingly slim. A 2-0 loss to Torino last week left them nine points away from safety, and their struggles in front of goal have been glaring. They have failed to score in their last three home matches, and with an average of less than one goal per game, only Lecce have scored fewer than Monza’s paltry total of 21 goals this season. Their campaign continues to be marked by disappointment and frustration.

With fewer than a dozen games remaining, another defeat this week would likely leave Monza effectively cut adrift in the relegation battle. The odds are heavily against them as they prepare to face Inter, a team they managed to defy earlier in the season but who now seem poised to compound Monza’s woes.