Serie A Preview: Venezia vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Having returned from Saudi Arabia heartbroken, defending Serie A champions Inter head to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo to meet Venezia. Sunday’s encounter in Veneto has all the makings of a ‘David vs Goliath’ clash.

Venezia failed to turn a fifth-minute opener into something more in a gut-wrenching 1-1 draw against fellow bottom-half rivals Empoli last weekend. That result left them firmly embroiled in a relegation scrap, with five points separating them from 17th-placed Hellas Verona ahead of the kick-off.

Manager Eusebio Di Francesco won’t lose hope of saving Venezia from immediate relegation, even though he failed to do so with Frosinone last term. However, the experienced coach can’t realistically hope to take much-needed points against Inter, especially with the Lagunari losing their three most recent meetings via an aggregate score of 5-1.

Significant pre-match favoritism doesn’t mean an all-important victory is a foregone conclusion. Indeed, Simone Inzaghi’s men have had less than a week to mentally recover from a devastating 3-2 defeat to fierce rivals Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana showpiece in Riyadh.

Inter couldn’t convert their favorite tag into a fourth successive Italian Super Cup trophy despite taking a two-goal cushion. Therefore, the Nerazzurri couldn’t wait to leave the Middle East and switch their attention back to defending their league title.

Napoli took advantage of Inter’s absence to extend their lead at Serie A’s summit to four points. But with two games in hand, Inzaghi’s charges are still in good shape to claim a 20th Scudetto this season.

Match Preview

Venezia

The abovementioned draw against Empoli wasn’t a dream result. Yet, it did help Venezia consolidate their form revival. Indeed, they’ve avoided defeat in four of their last five league matches (W1, D3). But an underwhelming win ratio of just 15.79% undermines their top-flight status.

Playing at Pier Luigi Penzo could be the catalyst to inspire Venezia’s only fourth Serie A victory this season. Di Francesco’s lads haven’t lost any of their three home league games since the start of December (W1, D2) and could achieve a small piece of club history this weekend.

Holding Inter winless against the odds would see Venezia go four consecutive home outings in Serie A without losing for the first time since December 2001. Interestingly, the Lariani opened the scoring in all those three unbeaten fixtures.

Still, breaking the deadlock won’t guarantee a positive outcome, considering Venezia lament the worst Serie A record when drawing first blood this season (W2, D3, L4).

Inter

Despite suffering a rare Italian Super Cup heartache, Inter’s recent form in Serie A has been nothing short of formidable. The visitors won five successive league matches toward the end of 2024, including a 3-0 demolition of Cagliari on their last road trip.

Those four triumphs yielded multi-goal margins, with Inter averaging a resounding 3.8 goals per game, highlighting the potential for an emphatic comeback. Furthermore, they’ve emerged victorious from their last five away encounters in Serie A without taking a scratch.

After winning five consecutive Serie A away games ‘to nil,’ Inter could make it six in a row for the first time in the club’s history. It would be a fitting way to uphold their unbeaten league record outside Stadio San Siro this term (W6, D2).

But Inter must be careful in the later stages of play. Indeed, seven of their 15 top-flight goals conceded in 2024/25 have arrived beyond the 80th minute.

Team News

Venezia will be without Alfred Duncan, Domen Crnigoj, and Michael Svoboda. Richie Sagrado and Issa Doumbia have recently struggled with injuries. But even if they make the matchday squad, they’ll unlikely reach the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Inter will take this trip deprived of Hakan Calhanoglu’s services. The Turkish midfielder suffered a minor muscle problem against Milan, joining long-term absentee Francesco Acerbi on the sidelines. Joaquin Correa is also out, yet Inzaghi has welcomed Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard back from injuries.

Venezia vs Inter Potential Starting Line-up

Venezia (3-5-2): Stankovic; Idzes, Sverko, Altare; Zampano, Busio, Nicolussi Caviglia, Ellertsson, Carboni; Yeboah, Pohjanpalo.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.

Venezia vs Inter Prediction

With Inter hellbent on atoning for the Super Cup fiasco, Venezia’s chances of upsetting the apple cart look slim. Backing the reigning champions to take home three points is a no-brainer.