Inter Milan vs Southampton Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Inter Milan are having a torrid time of things both on and off the pitch at the moment. On the pitch they are struggling enormously and find themselves in the bottom half of Serie A, whilst off the pitch star striker and captain Mauro Icardi has come under aggressive scrutiny for comments made regarding the hardcore Inter Milan Ultras in his autobiography.

The fans have called for his captaincy to be stripped and cheered when he missed a penalty on Sunday in their 2-1 defeat to Cagliari. This defeat made it three defeats and one draw in their last four competitive matches. These poor results have seen manager Frank de Boer come under pressure, and it all results in a club in turmoil.

Inter Milan’s European campaign hasn’t helped either. They have lost both of their group games against Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Sparta Prague and find themselves bottom of the group, despite being pre-season favourites for it. They have won just one of their competitive games at the San Siro this season, surprisingly against Juventus. Apart from that they have lost to Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Cagliari and drawn with Bologna and Palermo.

Despite the controversy surrounding him, Inter Milan fans have to accept that Icardi is a key player for them. The captain has netted six times this season, with the next highest scorer being Ivan Perisic with just two to his name. Whether Icardi will be played at the San Siro on Thursday is up for question, and if he does he could be affected by his own fans jeering him. This isn’t good news for Inter Milan, as he’s proving to be their one shining light on the field.

Southampton will be watching how this unfolds with a keen eye. They have a fantastic defensive outfit in place and will fancy their chances of keeping Inter Milan quiet. They have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven games, and that singular goal against Burnley on Sunday was an undeserved penalty. Overall they look extremely solid at the back.

The win against Burnley made it five wins and two draws from their last seven matches, and their slow start to the season has been well and truly forgotten. In the Europa League they have a 3-0 win against Sparta Prague and a goalless draw at the surprisingly impressive Hapoel Be’er Sheva under their belts. This puts them top of the group.

Charlie Austin is where the main threat for Southampton lies. The striker has netted seven times in all competitions this season, five more than their next highest scorers Nathan Redmond and Jay Rodriguez. He bagged two at the weekend as well, which means 8/5 for him to score Anytime tonight is great value.

Inter Milan have looked absolutely shocking this season and their 2-1 loss at home to Cagliari at the weekend confirmed that it isn’t getting any better. With their top scorer and star player being maligned by the fans and Southampton in excellent form I think the Saints have a massive chance to get one over the Italian giants here. Hapoel Be’er Sheva made short work of them at the San Siro, so backing a Southampton Win or Draw Double Chance at 7/10 looks excellent value to me. I’m also going for a 1-0 win for the visitors at 9/1.