Inter Milan vs Lazio: Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Inter Milan’s match vs Bologna was postponed on Thursday, so they’ll play their first match in over 2½ weeks when they play host to Lazio on Sunday.

There’s bad blood between the two sides as Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi left Lazio for greener pastures last summer. Lazio is also the only club to defeat Inter in Serie A this season.

The Nerazzurri will be out for revenge on Sunday as the soccer odds list them as -225 favorites vs a struggling Lazio side.

• Game: Inter Milan vs Lazio
• Location: Stadio San Siro, Milan, Italy
• Date/Time: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET

Inter Milan at Lazio Betting Preview

Head to Head

Inter Milan’s only loss of the Serie A season was to Lazio in October. Ivan Perišić opened the scoring for Inter with a 12th-minute penalty, but three second-half goals from the home side sealed an impressive 3-1 win.

It was surely a bitter night for Inter manager Simone Inzaghi, who left Lazio for Milan over the summer after five seasons with the Rome club. The last five meetings have been even, with two wins for Inter and Lazio apiece and a draw.

Inter’s Interrupted Momentum

It was a bizarre scene in Bologna as Inter Milan was forced to travel and warm up for their match, with the home side in mandatory quarantine. Inter hasn’t played since Dec. 22 and has had its momentum interrupted.

The extra wait in between games does mean that striker Edin Dzeko may be able to return after testing positive for COVID-19 just before the New Year. Attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu still has to serve a yellow card suspension, so he’ll be out for the Lazio match.

Turkish international Calhanoglu is tied for the team lead with 13 goal contributions and his absence will be a blow. Perhaps that’ll mean Alexis Sanchez gets a rare start in this one.

Before the Serie A holiday break, Inter was rolling through the Serie A with six straight shutout wins. The Nerazzurri have been one of the best soccer picks in any league this season and are going for a second consecutive Serie A title.

Inter has just one home loss this season, a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League. They’ve conceded just eight goals at the San Siro in 12 matches in all competitions and keeper Samir Handanovic has been a standout.

New Year, Same Lazio

New year, same story for Lazio. The Rome club scored three goals in their first match of the year vs Empoli but also conceded three in a draw. The Biancocelesti went down 2-0 within 10 minutes at home, but striker Ciro Immobile quickly got a goal back.

Midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalized in the 66th minute on a classy volley but Lazio fell behind again in the 75th. Immobile missed a penalty in the 86th minute but Milinkovic-Savic came to the rescue once again with a last-minute headed equalizer.

Lazio has scored more goals than every Serie A side other than the Milan clubs, but has conceded more goals than all but four teams. The Biancocelesti have been one of the most inconsistent picks for betting online because of a leaky defense.

Currently in eighth place, Lazio could still make a top-four challenge but their defensive problems need to be solved in short order. Maurizio Sarri’s first season in charge has not gone according to plan.

Prediction

There are a couple question marks for Inter Milan in this one with Calhanoglu and Dzeko both potentially out. Lazio has been porous on defense but it has scored three or more goals in five of their last six Serie A matches.

I don’t think Lazio will win, but they did put three goals on Inter back in October. At the very least, expect the Biancocelesti to end Inter’s six-game shutout streak.

That said, the over is offering good value in the sportsbook. Take over three goals at even odds.

Pick: Over 3 Goals (Ev)