Inter Milan will be looking to return to winning ways in Serie A when they face the Hellas Verona side at San Siro in game week 18. Inter Milan drew 2-2 against Monza and dropped two crucial points in game week 17. Meanwhile, Hellas Verona won 2-0 against Cremonese.
Inter Milan will be keen to keep the pressure on third-placed Milan, who are three points ahead of fourth-placed Inter Milan. They remain in contention to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Hellas Verona currently sits 18th in the top-flight standings, lying in the relegation zone and six points behind the 17th-placed Spezia. They have scored 15 and conceded 30 goals in 17 matches played.
We now look at the stats for both teams compared to each other for the current season.
How have the teams performed?
The above viz shows the percentile rank of the home team in comparison to other Serie A teams. Inter Milan have had a mixed start to the Serie A campaign this season. Inter Milan have struggled to get a result in their favour against the top Serie A teams, having lost games against Lazio, Milan, Roma, and Juventus. Inter Milan are currently heading towards European glory in terms of securing a spot that gives them a chance to compete in the Champions League. They have become a high goal-scoring team, and their percentile rank is high in the attacking department. Inter Milan are solid regarding goals per 90 minutes and xG per 90. Inter Milan dominates most of the stats regarding possession, especially key passes per 90 and passes per 90. In defence, they have been below average this season, conceding 24 goals already in just 17 Serie A games.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of the away team in comparison to other Serie A teams. Hellas Verona are having difficulty putting up numbers in the charts. We can observe that Hellas Verona are ranked very low in the attacking, possession, and defending department. They are ranked above average in recoveries per 90, crosses per 90, and final third entries per 90.
Attacking efficiency
Inter Milan are the second-best team in terms of efficiency of positional attacks, with 13% overall efficiency. In terms of efficiency in counterattacks, they are currently at 17% efficiency. Inter Milan averages 26.29 positional attacks and 2.47 counterattacks per match. They take 13.88 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 36.5%.
Hellas Verona are the team that is ranked in the bottom half in terms of the efficiency of counterattacks, with 16% overall efficiency. In terms of efficiency in positional attacks, they are currently at 7% efficiency. Hellas Verona averages 27.29 positional attacks and 1.59 counterattacks per match. They take 10.53 shots per match and have an accuracy rate of 26.8%.
Both teams in attack
Inter Milan are currently fourth in the 2022-23 Italian Serie A, with 34 points from 17 games played. They have won 11 matches, drawn one, and lost five. They have scored 37 goals and conceded 24 goals. We can observe from the above viz that the team has scored most of its goals from inside the box. The team has also scored a few goals from outside the box. Inter Milan have an xG per 90 of 2.02 and an average of 13.88 shots per 90.
Hellas Verona are currently 18th in the 2022-23 Italian Serie A, with nine points from 17 games played. They have won two matches, drawn three, and lost 12. They have scored 15 goals and conceded 30. We can observe from the above viz that the team has scored most of its goals from inside the box. Hellas Verona players have massively underperformed their xG this season. Hellas Verona have an xG per 90 of 1.1 and an average of 10.53 shots per 90.
Numbers in defence
The above chart represents the ranking of teams in Serie A based on their percentage of defensive and aerial duel wins. It can be seen that Inter Milan are ranked seventh with a 56% win rate in defensive duels. Hellas Verona, however, is not far behind at 54%. On average, the home team makes 37.12 interceptions versus 43.12 interceptions per 90 for Hellas Verona. Inter Milan are the superior team in the air, winning 57% of their aerial duels to Hellas Verona’s 54%.
Key Players
Edin Dzeko is likely to lead the line for the home team. He has scored seven goals and provided two assists in the current season of Serie A. Dzeko likes to score against the big teams. He scored a brace against Atalanta, one goal against Napoli, and one goal against Milan. Edin Dzeko’s height allows him to beat the opposition’s defence on aerial duels and crosses. He will look to take advantage of this in the match. Dzeko has provided nine goal contributions in 17 Serie A appearances this season.
Darko Lazovic is likely to lead the line for the away team. Lazovic has scored two goals and provided two assists in the current season of Serie A. He will look to take advantage of his playmaking skills in the match. Lazovic has provided four goal contributions in 13 Serie A appearances this season.
Team News
Inter Milan might miss a quartet of Barella, Hakan, Brozovic, and Lukaku for the game against Hellas Verona. All of them are struggling with the injuries.
Most Hellas Verona players are fully fit and expected to start with their first-choice line-up.
This might be Game Week 18’s one of the exciting matches as two teams, one fighting for a top-four position and another fighting for survival in the Serie A, go head-to-head at San Siro. Inter Milan will have the home advantage, but it won’t be easy for them to beat Zaffaroni’s Hellas Verona. Both teams will need a bit of magic in the attack and hope their strikers get on the scoresheet.
