One win away from being crowned 'Winter Champions', Inter Milan visit Genoa on Friday, seeking to extend their lead at the top of Serie A.
Inter are four points clear of nearest challengers Juventus after beating Lecce just before Christmas, while their hosts edged further away from the drop zone by seeing off Sassuolo.
Match preview
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While the title of 'Campioni d'Inverno' carries no silverware, the leaders at the midpoint of most Serie A seasons generally go on to claim the Scudetto several months later; therefore, Inter will aim to put more pressure on their fellow contenders by posting a fifth straight league win.
In their previous four top-flight outings, the Nerazzurri have picked up maximum points without conceding a single goal, beating Napoli, Udinese, Lazio and - most recently - Lecce to embellish their credentials as outright title favourites.
A few days after an extra-time meltdown against Bologna saw them dramatically eliminated from the Coppa Italia - a competition they had dominated for two years - Inter bounced back in Serie A, with goals either side of the break from Yann Bisseck and Nicolo Barella sealing victory over Lecce at San Siro.
In the process, coach Simone Inzaghi set another new milestone, having seen his club score in 25 successive Serie A matches - no previous manager of the Milan club has reached such a mark.
Inter's defensive record, though, is perhaps even more impressive this term, as no team throughout Europe's top five leagues has conceded fewer goals (seven) and kept more clean sheets (12).
Their final fixture of the calendar year now takes them to Stadio Luigi Ferraris, where they have not even shipped a single goal against Genoa since 2018: on their last four trips, the Nerazzurri have won three times and drawn once, scoring nine goals without reply.
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Although a visit from the Serie A leaders presents Genoa with possibly their toughest test since returning to the big time earlier this year, Alberto Gilardino's side are showing signs that they can cope with life at the top level.
Avoiding an immediate return to Serie B was Gilardino's brief at the start of the season, and the former Milan striker has his troops on track to survive following a haul of 19 points from their first 17 games.
Having held Juventus to a 1-1 draw at Marassi in their most recent home fixture, Genoa then fought back bravely last Friday, when top goalscorer Albert Gudmundsson struck from the spot to pull them level at Sassuolo, before Caleb Ekuban finished emphatically in the 87th minute.
After ending a four-match losing streak on the road, the Grifone now return to home turf, where they have been beaten only twice in the league this term and had also won two Coppa Italia ties before being knocked out by Lazio at Stadio Olimpico.
For all their promise, however, Genoa are still just six points clear of danger with more than half of their comeback campaign to play, and after tackling mighty Inter they must visit in-form Bologna in their first fixture of 2024.
Team News
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Once again, Inter will be without captain Lautaro Martinez on Friday evening, as Serie A's 15-goal top scorer suffered a muscular strain against Bologna and will not return until next week.
Marko Arnautovic will most likely deputise up front alongside Marcus Thuram, while Matteo Darmian continues to fill in for wing-back Denzel Dumfries on the visitors' right flank.
Dumfries does hope to be back on the bench following injury, but fellow wide men Federico Dimarco (adductor) and Juan Cuadrado (Achilles) are still unavailable. It remains to be seen whether Benjamin Pavard will force his way back into the side at Yann Bisseck's expense.
While Inter's main man is on the treatment table, Genoa will again turn to leading marksman Albert Gudmundsson - who is on seven league goals so far - to support either Matteo Retegui or Caleb Ekuban up front.
Milan loanee Junior Messias (muscular) is ruled out by injur, but Alberto Gilardino should otherwise have a full squad to choose from: Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman recently returned to contention following a layoff.
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Dragusin; Sabelli, Frendrup, Badelj, Malinovskyi, Vasquez; Gudmundsson; Retegui
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; Thuram, Arnautovic
We say: Genoa 1-2 Inter Milan
Although Genoa have proven tough to beat at Marasssi, there is simply no stopping Serie A leaders Inter, who are set to confirm their status as 'Winter Champions' by claiming maximum points in Liguria. Even a handful of injuries cannot derail Simone Inzaghi's impressive squad, who will end a memorable year in style.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
