Supercoppa Italiana Semifinal: Inter Milan vs Lazio Preview
Two of Italy’s Most In-Form Teams Face Off
Lazio Put Five Game Winning Streak on the Line
Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio started off the 2023-24 season quite slowly. They won just two of their first eight matches, in all competitions, and have been playing catch up ever since. Heading into Friday’s Supercoppa Italiana Semifinal, the Biancocelesti are on a five-game winning streak in all competitions. Lazio will take on Italy’s most dominant team, Inter Milan, in Saudi Arabia and the winner will face either Napoli or Fiorentina in the final. We’ll take a look at the latest odds and team news in our Inter Milan vs. Lazio preview.
Inter Milan vs Lazio
Date, time:
Location: Al-Alawwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
Inter Milan and Lazio met last month in a Serie A match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram powered Inter to a 2-0 win over the Biancocelesti. Inter have won the last two meetings and four of the last six. However, those interested in soccer betting should know that Lazio have won their only two matches vs. Inter in the Supercoppa Italiana. Still, Inter Milan vs. Lazio previews note their last head-to-head matchup in this competition was back in 2009.
Inter Coming Off Complete Performance
Inter Milan took a quick trip to Lombardy rivals Monza last Saturday. The Nerazzurri destroyed Monza 5-1 and put in one of their most complete performances of the season. Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu both got on the scoresheet twice and Marcus Thuram added the Inter’s fifth goal. Martinez has scored three goals in his last two matches since returning from an injury. The Argentine has eight more goals than any other Serie A player this season and is widely expected to win the league’s golden boot.
Calhanoglu has scored nine Serie A goals and is seven for seven on penalties this season. Thuram has also been a massive addition to Inter’s squad, along with goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The Nerazzurri have averaged over 2.5 points per game in Serie A this season and it’s Scudetto or bust for them. They have one of the best defenses in Europe but bettors should note they have conceded in each of their last three league matches. Inter are also unbeaten in their last 14 Serie A matches.
Simone Inzaghi is undoubtedly thrilled that no Inter Milan players are away on international duty this month. Plenty of other Serie A sides have players at the Africa Cup of Nations and the AFC Asian Cup. Currently, only Juan Cuadrado is out for Inter and he hasn’t played much since signing for the Nerazzurri due to various injuries. Inzaghi likely won’t change up his lineup too much for Friday’s match, as it’s most often been a winning formula this season.
Lazio Thriving in Recent Weeks
Lazio’s Luis Alberto returned from an injury to provide a crucial assist for Felipe Anderson in their 1-0 win over Lecce. It wasn’t Lazio’s best performance by any stretch of the imagination but Maurizio Sarri and the Biancocelesti will take the three points. They’ve now won their last four matches on the Serie A schedule and are just one point outside of the top four. Lazio also picked up a 1-0 win over rivals Roma last week in the Coppa Italia Quarter-finals.
While Inter Milan certainly haven’t lacked goals this season, Lazio haven’t been nearly as prolific. They’ve scored just 24 times in 20 Serie A matches and no Biancocelesti player has five or more league goals. Ciro Immobile has been their main man for quite some time but he is showing some signs of age and has scored just four non-penalty goals this season, in all competitions. Taty Castellanos is another option for Sarri but the Argentine hasn’t exactly hit the ground running. He also missed Lazio’s last match with a muscle injury.
Like Inter Milan, Lazio don’t have any players on international duty. Daichi Kamada did not get called up by Japan for the AFC Asian Cup and is available to play this month. Lazio last won the Supercoppa Italiana in 2019 and they’ve been champions in this competition five times in total.
Match Analysis & Odds
Our Inter Milan vs Lazio preview notes that Inter Milan are two-time defending Supercoppa Italiana champions. They have also won the last four Italian domestic cup competitions. For Friday’s match, Inter Milan are -155 favorites and show -325 odds overall to qualify for next Monday’s final. Lazio come in as +435 underdogs and they have won or advanced in their last three cup fixtures vs. Inter. Bettors can also take Lazio to qualify at +235 odds.
In the event of a draw, the match will go directly into penalties and a draw displays +29o odds. The high-flying Nerazzurri have averaged over two goals per game this season and Inter -0.5, -1 sits at -125 odds. Martinez and Calhanoglu alone have outscored Lazio in Serie A this season and the Biancocelesti will need to put forth a big defensive effort to compete here.
Even though Inter have averaged 2.4 goals per game over their last five matches, under 2.5 goals are priced at -120 odds here. Lazio are on a five-game scoring and winning streak of their own but Inter did shut out the Roman club in December.
