Serie A: Conte’s Inter Can Maintain Perfect Start Against Lazio

Lazio vs Inter Milan

It is the battle of the 2019/20 also-rans in Serie A. But right now Lazio vs Inter Milan is a live and kicking clash between two genuine title hopefuls as the new campaign takes its early steps.

Inter have started with two wins from two and Lazio have a win and a defeat. And while Antonio Conte’s Inter has the best chance of taking the Scudetto from the grip of Juventus, Lazio fans will remember how their team was the form side in Italy before the pandemic lock-down threw Simone Inzaghi’s men off course.

Who knows what would have happened if football had been uninterrupted by COVID-19? But I Biancoceleste certainly had the momentum and looked unshakable last March.

That’s history and now these two teams must refocus on the 2020/21 season and Inter have started with six points and a hatful of goals.

And the very latest Lazio vs Inter Milan betting odds here at SBOTOP favour Conte’s Inter to take all three points at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Talking Points

Lazio need a bounce back

After starting the season with an accomplished 0-2 victory in Cagliari, Inzaghi’s team was taken to the cleaners on Wednesday night when Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta thrashed them 1-4 in Rome.

The hosts need to bounce back and quickly, so a test set by the Nerazzurri is not exactly what the Romans would have wanted.

But they have been boosted by the news that two of their key players look set to stay at the club they served so well last season.

Midfield playmaker Luis Alberto has just committed to stay until 2025, and that’s great news for Inzaghi after the Spaniard contributed 15 assists last term.

And Sergej Milinkovic Savic looks set to follow his midfield colleague. Premier League giants Manchester United made inquiries about the classy Serbian midfielder but Biancoceleste fans will be pleased that he too looks like extending his stay in Rome.

For sure this is all good news for 2020 Serie A top scorer in Ciro Immobile, who relies so heavily on his creative supply.

Inzaghi is hoping to bring more recruits in to add to the arrivals of Argentine midfielder Gonzalo Escalante and centre-forward Vedat Muriqi.

Manchester United’s Brazilian midfielder Andrea Pereira is close to agreeing a loan deal which could be made permanent at the end of the season.

Conte has added steel to Inter’s attacking flair

I Nerazzurri have made a perfect start to the new season after Conte worked hard to strengthen his already talented squad in the summer.

Inter beat Fiorentina in a seven goal thriller and then went on to thrash Benevento 2-5, leaving Antonio Conte gushing in his praise for the side he loves to watch.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice in the second of the two high scoring victories, while strike partner Lautaro Martinez was also on target.

Romelu Lukaku now have 3 goals this season in Serie A — Romelu Lukaku celebrates with his teammates after scoring their goal

Lukaku has made a home in Milan after a record-breaking first season and he has carried on where he left off, already scoring three goals in the opening two games of the 2020/21 season.

Argentine striker Martinez has scored twice already and Chilean Alexis Sanchez is enjoying his football again.

Conte has plenty of flair in his squad which includes Christian Eriksen, and now he has added more steel to the midfield by bringing in Artur Vidal from Barcelona and the returning Radja Nainggolan – who spent last season on loan at Cagliari.

Lukaku boys could come face to face

Romelu has made the headlines in Serie A but his younger brother Jordan has been a key player for Lazio in recent seasons.

The left-back has made 66 appearances for I Biancoceleste and has eight caps for Belgium.

He started on the bench against Atalanta. But after Lazio’s capitulation, he could be in for a recall.

History

These two giants of Serie A are neck-and-neck in the head-to-head Lazio vs Inter Milan results, with I Biancoceleste a nose in front with 21 victories to 20 in the meetings since 1993 – during which time there have been 20 draws.

Last season the spoils were shared with Inter winning 1-0 at home before Lazio took the three points at the Stadio Olimpico with a 2-1 victory in February.

Conte’s Inter are in the better form as they are on a winning run of four and unbeaten in eight away from home.

But Lazio’s defeat against Alalanta wasn’t easy to see coming as they have won four of the last six.