Inter vs Genoa: Match Preview and Prediction

February 22, 2025. 21:45 CET. Milan. "Giuseppe Meazza"
Serie A, Matchday 26

Injuries: Sommer, Thuram (?), Augusto (?) - Ahanor, Thorsby, Badelj, Vitinha
No suspensions

Inter vs Genoa: Betting Odds

Inter

Inter suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Juventus in their last outing, missing the chance to close in on Napoli, who dropped points against Lazio. At the end of the match in Turin, the captain of the Nerazzurri, Lautaro Martinez, allegedly uttered a blasphemy that could invoke Article 37 of the Sports Justice Code. However, the Italian Football Federation's legal team could not substantiate the claim, as no audio evidence of the "offense" was found. Without such proof, it is deemed impossible to ascertain whether Lautaro said the word for "God" (dio) instead of "uncle" (zio). Consequently, Martinez has evaded suspension for the clash against Genoa.

What Inter did not escape, however, is the loss of their first-choice goalkeeper. Yann Sommer has broken his right thumb and will be sidelined for a period of 3 to 4 weeks, ruling him out for matches against Genoa, Napoli, Lazio, and potentially Atalanta.

Participation of Augusto and Thuram in the match against Genoa remains in doubt.

Following the defeat to Juventus, the club management traveled to Appiano Gentile to meet with players and head coach Simone Inzaghi. Giuseppe Marotta and his team addressed the squad in an attempt to motivate them ahead of the "most crucial part of the season."

Interestingly, this intervention by Marotta marks the second of its kind in recent times, following a similar address after Inter's Supercup defeat in Saudi Arabia. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, his speech can be summarized by three key words: trust, motivation, and reminder. Trust is what Marotta aimed to convey to the players and coach. Full trust, both from the management and, evidently, from the ownership, which he personally represents. Following that is motivation. The president sought to inspire his players, reminding them that the team’s quality should not be in doubt—otherwise, they would not have played the first half similar to the one in Turin. Emphasizing the critical moments of the season, the message was clear: Inter is fighting on all fronts, and the players should take pride in that. The time has come to accelerate, put in the effort, and pursue the goals that the Nerazzurri have been sweating for since last summer. Lastly, the reminder. Marotta partially echoed what Inzaghi had already stated in the heat of the moment after the loss to Juventus. To win, or rather, to start winning again, more needs to be done than has already been achieved. Attention must be paid to the details.

Genoa

Genoa's top scorer Andrea Pinamonti has finally found his voice again—his goal against Venezia secured a 2-0 victory in the last round, marking three consecutive clean-sheet home wins in Serie A for the first time since 2010. “Today, I was pleased with how we handled the difficult moments. We were under pressure but maintained our composure and organization. Those who came on brought a bit of quality and energy. In the end, I believe it was a team victory. The MVP of the match was the team,” noted Patrick Vieira.

This success has lifted the Grifoni to 11th place in the league table. Since Vieira’s arrival, Genoa has kept more clean sheets than any other team in the top Italian division—7 in 13 matches—but they face a significant test on Saturday.

In the match against Venezia, Ruslan Malinovskyi made his return to the squad for the first time in 149 days, albeit without getting any playing time. Against Inter, the Ukrainian is expected to see more action, especially with his competitor Vitinha suffering his third injury of the season.

Inter vs Genoa: Predicted Lineups

Inter vs Genoa: Author's Prediction

Genoa has significantly improved its defensive record under Vieira, and the match against Inter will be a real test of maturity for the visitors. For Inter, this encounter is also a challenge: Sommer is injured, Thuram likely won't play, and the team needs to respond to criticism following their loss to Juventus. Both teams will find it tough, but I expect the home side to scrape a victory towards the end of the match. My prediction is 1-0.