After a late comeback secured their third straight success at the weekend, Inter Milan seek another boost to their top-four hopes on Wednesday, when they visit lowly Hellas Verona.
Having just beaten Juventus to reach the Coppa Italia final, Inter stormed to victory with a second-half revival against Lazio; meanwhile, their hosts picked up just a point at relegation rivals Cremonese but are edging towards Serie A survival following a four-match unbeaten run.
Match preview
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Continuing their ascent from the doldrums, Champions League semi-finalists Inter overcame the disappointment of trailing at half time to Lazio despite putting on a bright display, as they battled back to topple Serie A's second-placed side at San Siro.
Leading scorer Lautaro Martinez arrived from the bench to renew his partnership with a revived Romelu Lukaku and bagged a late brace, while fellow substitute Robin Gosens also found the net from close range.
Securing back-to-back Serie A successes for the first time since February - following a Lukaku-inspired win at Empoli last week - the Nerazzurri also opened the door for league leaders Napoli to confirm the Scudetto, though the southern giants subsequently fluffed their lines against Salernitana.
Two years have now passed since Inter were crowned Italian champions and Antonio Conte swiftly departed, but for all his woes in a campaign featuring 11 league defeats, current coach Simone Inzaghi now has his side on course for cup glory and just inside the top four with six games remaining.
Still under intense pressure to produce better results, overcoming Inzaghi's former club on Sunday puts Inter narrowly ahead of both Roma and city rivals Milan - their Champions League opponents later this month - so victory over Verona is a must in midweek.
They will arrive at Stadio Bentegodi having dominated their hosts for much of the recent past: the Nerazzurri are unbeaten in the teams' last 23 Serie A meetings - a run including 19 wins and some 51 goals in their favour.
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Verona's most recent defeat at Inter's hands came as recently as mid-January, when Martinez struck early on to decide the outcome at San Siro. In fact, the Scaligeri's last league win over the second-city side came back in February 1992.
Current coach Marco Zaffaroni may have hopes of ending such a drought on this occasion, as Hellas have given their aim of Serie A salvation a tremendous boost over the past few months, and after Sunday's draw with Cremonese they are locked on points with Spezia, their direct rivals for survival.
Having hauled themselves within range of preserving the club's top-flight status with two wins and a creditable goalless draw against Napoli, Verona had to come from behind in Cremona, where their hosts were reduced to 10 men during the second half and Simone Verdi continued his recent hot streak by snaffling a fifth Serie A strike of the season.
Hellas have still not won once in their last 17 away fixtures, but back at the Bentegodi they have fared much better: six wins on home soil so far sees their home points total standing at almost three times the size of that recorded on the road.
Still to play Inter's Lombardy counterparts Milan and Atalanta during the run-in, the Gialloblu have plenty of work remaining to ensure they stay up, but a positive result on Wednesday could be the catalyst for completing their escape.
Team News
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Joining Milan Skriniar in missing the trip to Verona due to injury, Robin Gosens crashed into the post while scoring Inter's second goal against Lazio and has dislocated his shoulder, ruling him out for several weeks.
Barring a rare call-up for Raoul Bellanova, current incumbent Federico Dimarco should be retained on the left flank, then, but Simone Inzaghi may make changes elsewhere.
As Francesco Acerbi endured a torrid time against his former club, he could be removed from the firing line on Wednesday, with Stefan de Vrij promoted from the bench; club captain Samir Handanovic is expected to replace Andre Onana in goal.
Further forward, Romelu Lukaku has been back in form over the past week, but must still battle it out with Joaquin Correa, Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez for selection. Continuing Inzaghi's striker rotation policy, the latter duo could be paired at Stadio Bentegodi.
Meanwhile, Marco Faraoni returns from suspension for Verona, who may no longer persist with a four-man rearguard after switching to such a setup at the end of last month.
Once again, Adolfo Gaich and Milan Djuric vie to lead the line up front despite their acute lack of goals, but Simone Verdi is an almost certain selection in support of the hosts' lone frontman, given his burst of three in two games over the past fortnight.
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Ceccherini, Magnani, Hien; Faraoni, Tameze, Abildgaard, Depaoli; Lazovic, Verdi; Gaich
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Handanovic; D'Ambrosio, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Dzeko, Martinez
We say: Hellas Verona 1-2 Inter Milan
In stark contrast to their swashbuckling ways under Igor Tudor last year, Marco Zaffaroni has steadied the ship following managerial turbulence at Verona, and his team have eventually become tougher to beat. Inter are growing in both fluency and confidence, though, and the prize of a top-four finish should serve as enough motivation to get the job done.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
