Inter Milan vs Cagliari predictions, betting tips & match preview

Inter Milan boss Frank De Boer said he’d need six months at least to get his team up to speed. They look pretty far off their best, despite their early win against champions Juventus. They’re 9th in Serie A having suffered Europa League defeats to Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Can they turn things around when they host Cagliari this weekend?

Inter have appointed four managers since they last recorded a home league win over Cagliari. The Nerazzurri can’t afford to let that dismal run continue. This season there’s a host of clubs who are pushing for a European spot. Lazio, Chievo and AC Milan are giving chase to the top three of Juventus, Napoli and Roma. Even Genoa and Torino are closer to the Champions League spots than De Boer’s men.

It probably doesn’t help matters that they’ve conceded in every home game in Serie A. They’ve also suffered a 2-0 defeat at San Siro against Israeli side Hapoel. Despite their poor defensive record, they’ve yet to concede more than a goal at home in the league. However, they need to tighten up before they can seriously challenge for a place in the top three.

Their poor defending is making things hard for them, as they’ve been falling behind far too often. They’ve conceded the opening goal in 86% of their games this season. They do struggle to make up for that, having averaged 1.33 goals per match at home. Mauro Icardi has scored 67% of their goals this term, but others are starting to chip in. Ivan Perisic has scored in back to back games at San Siro. While Icardi is 1/2 to score any time, Perisic seems like a better bet at 6/4.

The Inter attack should enjoy this game, as they’re up against a really poor defence. Cagliari have conceded in 100% of their games this season, and they conceded three per game away from home. Stand in goalkeeper Rafael can’t expect to have that much protection here, as his side face over 22 shots per game on the road. Of those shots, 13% have found their way into the back of the net.

While Inter should have a lot of joy going forward, you can never really rely on them at the back. Cagliari have scored 1.57 goals a game so far, and they’ve found the net in their last four trips to Inter. Given how poor both of these sides are defensively, we can see quite a few goals here. Over 2.5 and both teams to score is our bet, which is priced at 11/10 with bet365.