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2 vs 1
Played
April 29, 2012 2:00 PM BST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee:‬ A. Romeo‎
Attendance:‬ 45802‎
 
59′ (OG) Steve von Bergen
Luca Ceccarelli 57′
72′ Mauro Zárate
 

Inter - Cesena Preview: Stramaccioni's men aim to keep third-place dreams alive against relegation-doomed visitors

The Nerazzurri will look to continue their unbeaten streak under their former Primavera coach in order to keep up the hunt for a Champions League qualification spot

By Julian De Martinis

More On :  Cesena, Inter, Inter vs Cesena
Wesley Sneijder scores a goal - Udinese-Inter
Getty
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

INTER

Julio Cesar
Maicon, Lucio, Ranocchia, Nagatomo
Cambiasso, Poli, Guarin
Alvarez, Sneijder
Milito
CESENA

Antonioli
Rodriguez, Bergen, Benalouane
Lauro, Guana, Parolo, Santana, Comotto
Nero
Malonga

The home side will likely name a team largely unchanged from the midweek 3-1 away win over Udinese. After struggling to return from injury, Wesley Sneijder looks to be approaching form, exemplified by his brace on Wednesday following his first start under Andrea Stramaccioni. Yuto Nagatomo impressed his boss after his first start as well and could be rewarded with a second successive appearance from the beginning of the match.

The home side will be missing captain Javier Zanetti, Cristian Chivu, Walter Samuel and Luc Castaignos through injury. Dejan Stankovic is suspended, meaning that the young Andrea Poli is likely to start in midfield for the side. The biggest question mark revolves around the team's attack; Stramaccioni will either leave Milito as a starter or give the misfiring Giampaolo Pazzini a chance to get back to scoring ways.

The visitors were relegated following a narrow defeat to Juventus in midweek and currently sit at the very bottom of the table. With almost nothing left to play for, coach Mario Beretta could pick either largely the same team that nearly held Juventus to a single goal, or could opt to play some of the club's younger players.

Beretta has quite a few injuries and suspensions to deal with, with Daniel Pudil and Jorge Martinez out for the match. Vangelis Moras, Vincenzo Rennella and Giuseppe Colucci are all doubts as well, meaning a three-man back-line is likely for the visitors.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Inter have not lost in the league in over a month, winning three and drawing two of Stramaccioni's five games in charge, scoring 12 and conceding eight in the process.
  • The home side have won the last three matches played against Cesena, including the reverse fixture where Andrea Ranocchia notched the only goal of the match.
  • Although Diego Milito has scored 20 goals for Inter in Serie A this season, and has six goals in the five matches since Stramaccioni took over, the rest of the side's attack has been quite anaemic. Second behind the Argentine on the goalscoring charts is Giampaolo Pazzini with five goals.
  • Lucio leads the Inter back-line in clearances per game; his average of 10 is nearly a full two more than Samuel's and three and a half more than Ranocchia's averages.
  • Cesena have not won a match since January 15th! They are currently on a 16 match winless streak.
  • Before their loss to Juventus, however, the visitors had drawn five matches in a row.
  • With eight goals to his name this season, Adrian Mutu leads the charts for Cesena. Three of his team-mates follow with two goals each: Eder, Mario Santana, and Antonio Candreva.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Inter 3-0 Cesena
    29.19 %
  • Inter 2-0 Cesena
    14.28 %
  • Inter 3-1 Cesena
    9.61 %
Head to Head
Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ 29 Apr 2012 Inter 2 - Cesena 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ 18 Dec 2011 Cesena 0 - Inter 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ 30 Apr 2011 Cesena 1 - Inter 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ 19 Jan 2011 Inter 3 - Cesena 2
  • Player Ratings
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  • Play by Play
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Last Five Matches
Inter
19 May 2013Inter 2 - Udinese 5ITA1
12 May 2013Genoa 0 - Inter 0ITA1
8 May 2013Inter 1 - Lazio 3ITA1
5 May 2013Napoli 3 - Inter 1ITA1
28 Apr 2013Palermo 1 - Inter 0ITA1
Cesena
18 May 2013Cesena 1 - Pro Vercelli 1ITA2
11 May 2013Bari 2 - Cesena 1ITA2
4 May 2013Cesena 3 - Juve Stabia 1ITA2
28 Apr 2013Empoli 1 - Cesena 0ITA2
20 Apr 2013Cesena 1 - Virtus Lanciano 1ITA2
Odds
Returns: Inter £12.22 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £110.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Cesena £410.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
12Luca CastellazziGoalkeeper
3LucioDefender
3MaiconDefender
23Andrea RanocchiaDefender
55Yuto NagatomoDefender
14Wesley SneijderMidfielder
11Ricardo Gabriel ÁlvarezMidfielder
14Fredy GuarínMidfielder
19Esteban Matias CambiassoMidfielder
20ObiMidfielder
11Giampaolo PazziniStriker
-Paolo OrlandoniGoalkeeper
-Iván Ramiro CórdobaDefender
16Andrea PoliMidfielder
6Marco FaraoniDefender
-Diego Forlan CorazoStriker
22Diego Alberto MilitoStriker
10Mauro ZárateStriker
-Francesco AntonioliGoalkeeper
2Guillermo RodriguezDefender
16Gianluca ComottoDefender
25Steve von BergenDefender
28Yohan BenalouaneDefender
5Roberto GuanaMidfielder
7Mario Alberto SantanaMidfielder
16Marco ParoloMidfielder
77Luca CeccarelliDefender
-Vincenzo IaquintaStriker
-Adrian MutuStriker
88Nicola RavagliaGoalkeeper
-Marco RossiDefender
23Damjan DjokovicMidfielder
24Tommaso ArrigoniMidfielder
-MartinhoMidfielder
-D. MalongaStriker
-Nicolò LolliStriker
Players to Watch
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 14
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0
It's been a long time coming, but Wesley Sneijder finally looked like the player of old last weekend, and will want to continue his inspiring form against the poor visitors.
Francesco Antonioli
Francesco Antonioli
Position: Goalkeeper
Squad Number: 0
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0
If Cesena are to have any hopes of keeping Inter from believing in a Champions' League place, it will likely come down to their veteran goalkeeper rather than their anemic attack. Though not at his best this season, the 42-year-old Antonioli certainly has the experience to try and shut Inter out.
Prediction
It should be a relatively easy victory for Inter against the already relegated side with the league's worst offense and fourth-worst defence.
Editor's Prediction
Inter 3
Cesena 0
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Edinson Cavani Edinson Cavani
Striker
Napoli 		29 7
Antonio Di Natale Antonio Di Natale
Striker
Udinese 		23 4
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo Pablo Daniel Osvaldo
Striker
Roma 		16 2
Stephan El Shaarawy Stephan El Shaarawy
Midfielder
AC Milan 		16 0
Germán Denis Germán Denis
Striker
Atalanta 		15 5

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