Two of Serie A’s historic blue bloods will take the pitch on Sunday in a clash that means far more to the hosts than it does to the visitors. We have already started to see some separation in the Serie A standings this season. Juventus is running away with the league (again), and Napoli and Inter Milan are clearly in the second tier. Those two teams look set to finish second and third in some order, while everyone else contends for the last Champions League spot. AS Roma are currently in seventh place and are looking to move up the standings, but they must get past Inter this weekend.
Don't miss the Italian Serie A action from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 2, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN News.
Italian Serie A Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Inter Milan +150
Roma +176
Draw +247
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Odds Analysis
Inter Milan are currently 9-1-3 and one point behind Napoli in the standings. They have shaken off a slow start to the domestic campaign with some inspired play over the last couple months, and that has led to them slowly rising in the table. Inter have hammered three of their last four opponents, beating Lazio, Genoa, and Frosinone by three goals or more. However, they were a bit lackluster against Atalanta prior to the international break and ended up losing 4-1 because of it. It will be interesting to see how Inter respond here after suffering a 1-0 defeat in Wembley against Tottenham on Wednesday.
Like last year, Roma continue to perform better in the Champions League than they do in Serie A. They are already through to the Round of 16, but they are sitting in seventh place in the Italian league. Over their last five domestic matches, Roma have won just once, beating Sampdoria 4-1 at home eight before the international break. While they can feel good about getting a draw on the road against Napoli, a tie with Fiorentina and losses to SPAL and Udinese (the former at home) hurt.
Injury Report
At least one player will definitely be unavailable on the side of Inter here. Dalbert Henrique is dealing with a calf injury and he will miss the next few weeks as he recovers from it. Radja Nainggolan came off the pitch with an ankle injury against Tottenham, and his status for this game is unknown, while Sime Vrsaljko is a doubt because of multiple injuries.
Many key members of Roma are banged up headed into this match. Diego Perotti and Javier Pastore are doubtful to play in this match due to calf injuries, while Daniele De Rossi, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Edin Dzeko, and Stephan El Shaarawy are questionable due to various injuries.
Player to Watch
Mauro Icardi has been the magic man for Inter this year. Icardi leads the team with seven goals in just 10 matches, and he has scored in the last two Serie A matches in which he started. He helped win the team a crucial draw against Barcelona in the Champions League earlier in the month, and he will be asked to do much of the heavy lifting in front of net.
Serie A Prop Bet – Inter Milan to win either half -136
Inter have been playing really fine football, and I see them beating Roma in at least one half although they are on the road. This won’t be a defensive slugfest as both teams look to open up the pitch and Inter will be ready to take advantage.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The injury situation at Roma is huge, and that will cost them in this one. Roma have too many guys that are banged up ahead of this important tilt to feel confident in their chances, so I’ll go the other way.
Italian Serie A Odds: Inter Milan 2, AS Roma 1
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