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Serie A Week 33 - 13/4/08 (19.30 UK)
Inter - Fiorentina

Stadio Meazza


The incredibly tight Scudetto and Champions League races cross paths at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and it’s set to be an explosive encounter.

Inter are back on track following their 2-0 win away to Atalanta, but Roma are still snapping at their heels with a four-point gap. This means they cannot afford to slip up, having won just two of their last nine Serie A games. Fiorentina are in an identical situation, as Milan, Sampdoria and Udinese fight to tear up their four-point cushion for fourth place, but they have the added complication of a UEFA Cup quarter-final trip to PSV Eindhoven first.

It was a very rough March for Roberto Mancini’s men after elimination from the Champions League, suffering their first defeat at Napoli and losing to Juventus on home turf. They haven’t celebrated victory at San Siro since March 8 when Palermo fell 2-1. The Coach put much of the blame for those setbacks on the succession of injuries to his midfielders and it is no coincidence that the return of Esteban Cambiasso saw the team beat Atalanta in Bergamo last Sunday.

Dejan Stankovic and Patrick Vieira are also battling back to full fitness, though Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Suazo and Cristian Chivu struggle with on-going problems. The usual long-term absentees – Ivan Cordoba, Walter Samuel and Olivier Dacourt – are out for the campaign. This means Mancini could use the 4-5-1 system that did so well at the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia.

Fiorentina have also been stuttering, though were relieved to see Milan in a similar situation. Although the Viola are fresh from a 2-0 victory over Reggina which saw Giampaolo Pazzini score a morale-boosting header, their away record leaves a lot to be desired. They have lost three on the trot at Siena, Napoli and Udinese, during which they conceded six goals and scored just one.

The Tuscans don’t have the best history at San Siro either, losing their last five Serie A visits on the trot. Last season Luca Toni had given Fiorentina the lead, but Stankovic, Adriano and Ibrahimovic turned it around. The neutrals are sure to be entertained either way, as this tie hasn’t ended in a draw since the 2-2 in November 1996.

Franco Semioli remains sidelined and Marco Donadel is suspended, so Zdravko Kuzmanovic starts in midfield and Mario Alberto Santana is the favourite to complete the trident with Pazzini and Adrian Mutu, though former Inter hero Christian Vieri is ready to step on as a substitute to a no doubt frosty welcome from the fans. It’s an important test for Mancini, as Cesare Prandelli has been suggested as his possible replacement next term.

Keep an eye on: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina) – If anyone can stop Inter, then it’s the Romanian hitman with a new lease of life, especially as this club sold him after just six months in 2000.

Last season: Inter 3-1 Fiorentina

Form guide: Inter (W D L D W), Fiorentina (W L W L W)


Inter (probable): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Burdisso, Materazzi, Maxwell; Figo, Vieira, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic; Crespo

Fiorentina (probable): Frey; Ujfalusi, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual; Kuzmanovic, Liverani, Montolivo; Santana, Pazzini, Mutu

Ref: To follow...

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