Inter will be looking to bounce back after two consecutive Europa League defeats when they host Southampton at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on Thursday. The two sides have never met before as Southampton have not been regular members of the European competitions lately, but Inter have a negative recent record against English clubs after being beaten by Tottenham three times in four matches.
Inter have a terrible Europa League record so far this season, with two defeats out of two games. First they lost at home against Israeli outfit Hapoel Beer Sheva and then got beaten 3-1 in Prague by Sparta. If they want to qualify for the knockout phase they will have to get the three points against Southampton, otherwise their chances of pulling through would shrink considerably before the final three matches of the group stage.
After a shaky start to the season with four matches without a win, the Saints steadied the ship and now they are on a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, with five wins collected in the process. In the Europa League they started out with a 3-0 victory at home over Sparta Prague and then recorded a goalless draw at Hapoel Beer Sheva, which means they are now tied with the Israeli team at the top of the group table.
Probable line-ups:
Inter: Handanovic - D'Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Murillo, Nagatomo - Gnoukouri, Medel, Banega - Candreva, Palacio, Eder
Southampton: Forster - Martina, Yoshida, Van Dijk, Targett - Clasie, Romeu, Ward-Prowse - Hesketh - Long, Redmond
My prediction: Southampton to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Inter win - 2.38
Draw - 3.40
Southampton win - 3.20
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