Serie A: Inter Seek Another Big Win Over New Boys Benevento

Inter Milan vs Benevento

Fresh off their big Coppa Italia derby win over Milan, Inter will now resume their quest to overtake their city rivals at the top of Serie A when they host newly-promoted Benevento.

Inter’s form to start the year has been quite patchy; they’ve won just two of their first five matches in 2021 and were held to a goalless draw at Udinese last time out.

But they have been quite reliable at the San Siro this season, and the Serie A 2021 betting odds have them as significant favourites to extend their home winning streak against Benevento, who they crushed in their first meeting this season.

 

Talking Points

Inter still need improvement

Inter Milan just about squeaked past rivals AC Milan 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia in midweek. However, it was still another unconvincing performance for Inter, who have not played particularly well to start 2021 (2 wins, 2 draws, and a loss in 5 games).

They were somewhat fortunate to have a man advantage for the last half-hour against Milan after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s silly sending off. And even then, they needed a dubious penalty and a late Christian Eriksen free kick at the death to get the win.

Despite his cup heroics, it remains to be seen whether Eriksen will get a chance to start against Benevento. The Danish midfielder has been largely out of favour at Inter this season and has made just one league start since November.

On the other hand, regular starters Ashley Young, Achraf Hakimi, and Lautaro Martinez – who came on as substitutes against Milan – are all likely to return to the first XI.

It has now been six games since Lautaro last scored in the league for Inter as he continues to be so inconsistent in front of goal. Although, he has a good record against Benevento, scoring 3 goals in 2 games against them.

Meanwhile, Inter have a terrific home record this season. They’ve won 7 of their 9 games at San Siro, including each of the last six. Their most recent win was a convincing 2-0 victory over Juventus in the Derby d’Italia.

 

Benevento falling back down to earth

Benevento have been by far the most successful of the three newly promoted Serie A sides this season. They are currently in 11th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

However, it has not been a Happy New Year for the new boys. Their Serie A 2021 results have dipped as they have lost three of their last five matches. While two of those defeats were against leaders Milan and much-improved Atalanta, they also suffered a humiliating 4-1 thrashing at the hands of fellow promoted club Crotone.

And last weekend, they surrendered a two-goal lead at home against relegation-threatened Torino, who equalised in the 93rd minute.

One bright side for Benevento was that veteran striker Gianluca Lapadula finally ended his extended scoring drought. After a strong start which saw him collect 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 6 games of the season, the 30-year-old failed to get on the scoresheet in his next 12 appearances.

However, Benevento still have some major concerns at the back. They have conceded the fourth-most goals this season (36) and haven’t been helped by the recent absences of defender Gaetano Letizia and defensive midfielder Pasquale Schiattarella due to injury.

Meanwhile, they will once again be without attacking midfielder Marco Sau, who will serve the second of his two-match suspension for his red card against Torino. Sau has been one of Benevento’s in-form players with 2 goals in his last 3 starts.

 

History

Inter and Benevento have a limited history, with just four meetings overall. Unsurprisingly, the Nerazzurri have won all four of those meetings.

Inter did the double over Benevento the last time they were in Serie A. And they ran out 5-2 winners in their first meeting this season.Romelu Lukaku bagged a brace for Inter in that match, as did Benevento’s Gianluca Caprari.

Inter also picked up a 6-2 win over Benevento in the Coppa Italia in 2019, with Lautaro scoring twice.

 

Betting Tip

	Inter Milan vs Benevento	Inter Milan Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 1.75
	January 31, 03:45 (GMT+8)

Inter Milan are massive 1.25 favourites to extend their home winning streak to eight consecutive games, according to SBOTOP odds. Meanwhile, Benevento are huge long shots at 10.00 to stun the Nerazzurri at San Siro, and a draw is at 5.60.

But despite their recent hiccups, it’s hard to bet against Inter. They have been much better at home this season, and after their recent setbacks, they won’t want to make any mistakes again.

Meanwhile, Benevento have their own issues at the moment, and they’re unlikely to solve them against Inter. They gave the Nerazzurri a good fight in their first meeting at home but still lost 5-2, which shows the wide gap in quality between the two clubs.

Look for Inter to take care of business quite convincingly against Benevento and end up with a comfortable win of at least two clear goals.

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (Highly confident)	= €10 (CONFIDENT)	= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

 

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