Inter and Lazio meet tonight in a match that has become a Christmas classic: in fact, the two sides face each other in the last game before the Serie A winter break for the third year in a row, and once again at the San Siro.
 

Both teams are in a rich vein of form after two wins in a row and with huge ambitions for this game and their future targets: the third place that in Italy is the last available place for Champions League qualification. Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi admitted the team now are ready to fight to be in the Serie A top three in the end of the season, after setting other targets in the beginning of the campaign.  

The Biancolesti have been beaten only by the four teams that currently sit above them in the table; Juventus, Roma, Napoli, Milan and will finish in the top five as we head into the winter break whatever the result tonight. It’s a great achievement for them and for a manager that was coaching the U21 in the beginning of the year.
 

A win for Lazio would put them amongst the title contenders, putting pressure on Juventus who are currently in Doha preparing for the Italian Super Cup game against AC Milan on Friday. This is another reason why Inzaghi’s men will give everything tonight to get the three points.  

In the meantime Inter seem to have improved. The Nerazzurri now look more like a team and have a tactical idea, especially when they attack: in their most recent outings where they got good results, also key-players like Candreva, Brozovic and Perisic were able to score, relieving the pressure on Icardi who looked to be the team’s saviour.
 

Things still need to be worked on in the case of the defence, but the team spirit looks better, with the players fighting as a team and showing more pride and dignity on the pitch. Pioli still believes it’s possible to end the season in the top three and to finish the year with a win will leave the players full of enthusiasm ahead of the January re-start.  

Inter will be without Joao Mario, who is becoming a key-player game after game and Felipe Melo, both suspended after the Sassuolo game. Geoffrey Kondongbia will have another chance to show he is not the flop people think, while Banega will compete with his compatriot Biglia to show just who the best playmaker in the league is right now.
 

Mauro Icardi is looking to get back on the scoresheet after drawing a blank for more than three weeks, with new Brazilian signing Gabigol possibly getting another chance to show his talent during the game and Candreva, who was the match winner against Sassuolo, is facing his former club for the first time since he left Rome last summer.

 

 

INTER - Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Murillo, Miranda, Ansaldi; Kondongbia, Banega, Brozovic; Candreva, Icardi, Perisic.

 

LAZIO - Marchetti; Basta, De Vrij, Wallace, Lulic; Parolo, Biglia, Milinkovic-Savic; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Keita Balde.

Francesca Ceciarini @FrancescaCphoto