One of six sides within two points of the Serie A summit, reigning champions Inter Milan continue their title defence on Saturday, when they visit Hellas Verona.
While Inter were just a spot kick away from topping the table before the international break, Verona have lost four of their last five games and are leaking goals at an alarming rate.
Match preview
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Keeping them one point behind their visitors in the standings, a night of mixed fortunes for set-piece specialist Hakan Calhanoglu saw Inter settle for a home draw against league leaders Napoli last time out.
Though the Nerazzurri's Turkish star fired home a brilliant equaliser just before the break, his failure to extend a superb record from the penalty spot later cost them two points.
Calhanoglu's miss stunned San Siro and ended a streak of 19 successful attempts dating back to 2016, ultimately bringing a halt to his team's three-match winning streak.
Inter had previously seen off Empoli, Venezia and Arsenal without conceding a single goal, and victory over the latter leaves them just two points shy of top spot in the Champions League, halfway through the league phase.
Although the Scudetto holders have picked up 25 points in Serie A this season, that is six fewer than at this stage last term, so head coach Simone Inzaghi will be keen to embark on another success streak, starting on Saturday.
Ahead of their trip to Verona, Inzaghi's squad are two away wins from matching the club's top-flight record of 13 in a calendar year - and Inter have scored at least once on their last 13 visits to Stadio Bentegodi.
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All told, Verona have lost 40 league matches against Inter, winning only four; indeed, the Gialloblu have gone 26 games since they last posted a Serie A victory over the Milan giants.
Victims of a superb Moise Kean hat-trick just before the break, Hellas have lost to Fiorentina, Lecce, Atalanta BC and Monza during their last five fixtures, with a 3-2 defeat of crisis club Roma bringing their only respite.
Like the sharp end of Italy's top tier, the bottom half of Serie A is quite congested after 12 rounds, and Verona sit just three points above the relegation places.
Owners of the league's worst defensive record, Paolo Zanetti's men are shipping goals at a rate of 2.25 per game, which bodes ill given Inter's abundant attacking potential.
Yet to draw in league or cup this season, the Scaligeri have earned three of their four wins so far at the Bentegodi, and that may boost confidence ahead of the champions' arrival.
Team News
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As Hakan Calhanoglu sustained a muscular injury while on international duty, Inter's playmaker cannot atone for his penalty miss this weekend - either Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi or Albania's Kristjan Asllani will replace him.
With wing-back Carlos Augusto available again following a spell on the sidelines, Simone Inzaghi should have an otherwise full squad to choose from.
Captain Lautaro Martinez has netted six goals in eight games against Verona to date, but having returned late from Argentina's latest World Cup qualifying camp, either Mehdi Taremi - who scored for Iran on Tuesday - Joaquin Correa or Marko Arnautovic could replace him alongside Marcus Thuram up front.
Meanwhile, Verona will be without midfield mainstay Ondrej Duda until December after he returned from Slovakia duty carrying an injury.
Juan Cruz and Martin Frese are still sidelined and Diego Coppola has sprained an ankle, but Pawel Dawidowicz is back in action and Dailon Livramento is available after serving a suspension against Fiorentina.
Leading the hosts' attack, Benfica loanee Casper Tengstedt has scored four goals since moving to Serie A in the summer, despite producing just five shots on target.
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Tchatchoua, Dawidowicz, Magnani, Bradaric; Belahyane, Serdar; Suslov, Kastanos, Lazovic; Tengstedt
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Correa, Thuram
We say: Hellas Verona 0-2 Inter Milan
Considering their dire record against Inter and a distinct lack of form before international football intervened, Verona will face this fixture with some trepidation.
Eager to keep the pressure on Napoli and their fellow title contenders, the Nerazzurri will surely not slip up at one of their happiest hunting grounds.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
