Inter Milan and Fiorentina are quality sides of the Serie A, but they have not done justice to themselves this season as they lie on the twelfth and eighth position, respectively, in the table. They have a chance to correct that as the two teams are gearing up for a huge head-to-head contest at San Siro on Monday.
Consistency has been a problem for Inter, who have lost five matches this season already. Poor results led to the sacking of manager Frank de Boer as well. They appointed Stefano Pioli, who became their ninth coach in six years. His first Serie A match was a huge one — Milan derby — which resulted in a draw, but his team lost to H. Be'er Sheva in the Champions League.
Pioli, after their last loss, hinted that a three-man defence could be an option against Fiornetina, and wants his team to play good football to move up the table.
"Now we have got to right back and react, to prove we can improve our position in the Serie A table. We must find the right determination in an important match. It is the team that has to inspire the fans by playing with fighting spirit. A three-man defence could be an option, I am not ruling anything out in tactical terms. It's not an issue of tactics, but of concentration, which we are working on," Football Italia quoted Pioli as saying.
Irrespective of the formation Pioli picks for Fiorentina, Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic will be in the heart of things offensively for Inter.
If Inter sacked De Boer, Fiorentina's coach Paulo Sousa is also under pressure with results not going as they lie mid-table. However, a solid performance against Inter could help him. He hopes that the situation does not have an impact on his players when they play against Inter. They lost to PAOK in their last Champions League encounter 2-3.
"I am in the same position as any Coach, because we are all at risk. I just focus on my work and give my best to win. All I can do is focus on the things I can control and not on those that are out of my control. I hope it won't have an effect on the players. We are up against a side that did very well against Milan and we need to be at our best," Sousa said.
Players like Nikola Kalinic, Cristian Tello and Milan Badelj have to make sure that they play some good football, and climb up the table with a win away from home.
Where to watch live
Inter Milan vs Fiorentina is scheduled to kick off at 9 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 3 pm EST, 8pm GMT).
INDIA: TV: Sony ESPN/HD. Live streaming: Sony Liv
UK: TV: BT Sport 1. Live streaming: BT Sport Live
USA: TV: Bein Sports, RAI International. Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect
ITALY: TV: Sky Calcio 1, Sky Sport 1 Italia. Live streaming: Sky Go Italia
