Inter Milan vs Lazio Prediction: Inter to stay in Scudetto race with vital victory

There are big games aplenty in Serie A this weekend, but one of the biggest comes from San Siro on Sunday (19:45, TNT Sports 2) as reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan take on Lazio. I Nerazzurri are in pursuit of back-to-back Scudettos, but with two rounds of fixtures remaining, they are a point behind leaders Napoli, who play Parma at the same time.

I Biancocelesti, meanwhile, are fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Juventus, who occupy Italy's final Uefa Champions League position, so for the Rome club to play in Europe's premier club competition next season, they need to better I Bianconeri's results. Below are my Inter Milan vs Lazio predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, who missed last weekend's victory in Turin, has been ruled out of Sunday's game after struggling with muscle fatigue. Head coach Simone Inzaghi is taking no chances with his skipper with a Uefa Champions League final to come later this month.

On the other hand, Henrikh Mkhitaryan (thigh), David Frattesi (abdominal) and Benjamin Pavard (ankle) are all pushing for returns.

Football Odds

Meanwhile, number one shot-stopper Yann Sommer is expected to return between the sticks after dropping down to the bench for Inter's last two league games, with Josep Martinez earning rare starts in goal against Hellas Verona and Torino.

Luca Pellegrini and Mattias Zaccagni are suspended for Lazio, meaning an entirely different-looking left side on Sunday.

Elseid Hysaj is back from the ban he served during last Saturday's 1-1 draw against Juventus, so the Albanian could replace Pellegrini at left-back, or fellow full-back Manuel Lazzari could get the nod.

Pedro, meanwhile, may deputise for Zaccagni.

Nuno Tavares (muscle) could miss out again for the visitors.

Inter Milan vs Lazio Odds

Inter have already beaten Lazio twice this season, thrashing I Biancocelesti 6-0 in Rome in December before triumphing 2-0 in the Coppa Italia at San Siro in February. I Nerazzurri are 3/5, or a 62.5% chance, to make it a hat-trick of victories on Sunday, while the visitors are 9/2 (18.2%) to make it four away wins on the spin in Serie A.

The draw is priced at 3/1, both teams to score at 4/5, and over 3.5 total goals at 2/1.

To Win to Nil - Inter Milan @ 13/8

Lazio have failed to get on the scoresheet in either of their previous meetings with Inter this season, and they're not helped this weekend by the absence of their two most creative players, Tavares and Zaccagni, who have registered eight and six assists, respectively, in Serie A.

Marco Baroni's side have scored in their last seven league games, but they've only struck more than once in two of them, and have been helped by red cards to the opposition in three of those fixtures.

Inter, meanwhile, arrive into this contest having claimed back-to-back clean sheets in the league, beating Verona 1-0 at home before last Sunday's 2-0 success at Torino.

After Napoli's slip-up against Genoa last weekend, Inzaghi's side have their eyes on the Scudetto again, and they won't want to waste the opportunity given to them to take the title race to the final day, so I see them going into the lead and holding on firmly at San Siro.

Total Goals - Under 2.5 @ 1/1

Seven of Lazio's last nine Serie A games have gone under 2.5 total goals, while Inter's last four in the league have seen two or fewer strikes.

Inzaghi's charges roared to a 6-0 success in the reverse fixture, but were less convincing winners in the Coppa Italia just under three months ago, and it's hard to see them racking up a big scoreline this weekend with Martinez out and so much on the line for both them and Lazio, who are firmly in the hunt for Champions League football next season.

A close contest looks likely here, and with a key attacker sidelined for both teams, the under 2.5 total goals line appeals at EVS.

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