Serie A – Match Preview: Palermo versus Inter Milan
Serie A giants Inter Milan take on Palermo in what is expected to be a tough encounter for the current Italian league champions. Inter Milan’s third match of the Serie A season is anticipated to be a litmus test of their abilities
to retain their Italian league. Inter drew their first match of the Serie A season against Bologna but then went onto win their second match against Udinese by two goals to one. Jose Mourinho’s team was outstanding last season as they swept all before them
to conquer Europe as well as Italy.
Last season’s trilogy of trophies like the UEFA Champions League, the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia will be hard to emulate for Inter’s new manager Rafael Benitez who has been constantly compared with his predecessor Jose Mourinho.
Benitez has already come under criticism as the Spanish manager has tried to curb his attacking outfit’s offensive tendencies into a disciplined defensive approach. This pragmatism has been seen by Inter’s fans as a right move and the Italian press as a result
has been on the former Liverpool man’s back.
Inter Milan’s squad for the new season is relatively unchanged, the only big news that came out of the club in the summer transfer window was related to the sale of Mario Balotelli to Manchester City for more than twenty million
pounds. Inter’s main men against Palermo will be the likes of Sneijder and Milito. Last season’s highest scorer has not been firing on all cylinders for Inter in the 2010-2011 season and therefore a trademark performance against Palermo is expected. Sneijder
on the other hand is a doubt for the Italian champions; he suffered a bad knock in Inter’s mid-week match against F.C Twente, a match that they drew two all.
Alternatively, Palermo will be looking to break into the top four elite club’s in the Serie A season this year. Last season they barely missed out on their desired Champions League spot but Palermo’s start to the present season
has been woeful to say the least. After just obtaining a singular point from their two games in the Serie A this season, the Sicilian football club is in the bottom half of the table right now. However, all is not doom and gloom for Delio Rossi’s side. They
have got a lot of time to turn their season around as these are still early days in the Italian Serie A.
Pressure is being piled up on Palermo who also lost their first Europa League match to Sparta. The club’s president Zamparini has come out and said that Delio Rossi will have to change his ways otherwise his job will be at risk
as he expects Palermo to play better football in the future. For Inter Milan, their manager Rafael Benitez spoke to the press after his team’s draw against FC Twente, the Spanish national said that his time were improving slowly and expressed his hope that
they will be performing at their highest level in a short period of time.
Life under Mourinho’s shadow has not been easy for Benitez whose team must win against Palermo otherwise knives will be out along with the Italian media’s pens. Despite all the negativity surrounding Inter Milan, the fact still
remains that they are unbeaten in competitive games in the present season. That in itself is a proud mark something that the Nerazzurri
will be looking to retain by gaining a win against Palermo.
Goian and Pinilla are set to miss out for Palermo but their main midfield man, Pastore is fit for the tie. Thiago Motta, Stankovic, Chivu and Pandev are all unfit for Inter Milan but Sneijder is also a doubt whose fitness will
be decided just before the match. A lot is on the line for both the clubs with regard to this match but one can expect Palermo to be strong enough to at least get a draw as the match is taking place at their home stadium rather than the San Siro.
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