Southampton face Internazionale Milan at St. Mary’s tomorrow in the UEFA Europa League. The Saints will be hoping to get the three points against an unstable Inter side.
Less than three days before their fourth Europa League match, Inter Milan sacked their Dutch manager Frank de Boer after just 85 days at the helm. Inter will have one of their youth team coaches, Stefano Vecchi, as their manager when they face the Saints.
When these Group K sides last met, Southampton dominated most of the match but fell to Inter and Antonio Candreva’s one shot on target which gave Inter the lead and the three points.
Since then, Inter has lost twice in Serie A when they faced Atalanta and Sampdoria away and won once at home against Torino. They currently sit 12th in the Italian top division with 14 points through 11 fixtures.
Southampton have looked fairly strong since their trip to Milan. The Saints drew Premier League leaders Manchester City when they visited the Etihad Stadium. Their other two fixtures were a home win against Sunderland in the EFL Cup and an unfortunate lost to a very strong Chelsea side.
Going into this match, Southampton have the upper hand. Besides Inter’s instability after sacking their manager, Southampton have proven to be a more consistent as of late. Further, the Saints have only lost once at St. Mary’s this campaign and will hope to keep that streak alive after this fixture.
Saints manager Claude Puel announced that a few of his players are still injured but he remains optimistic.
"“Still injured are Long, Targett, McCarthy, Hesketh, and Reed now,” Puel said. “Jérémy Pied, of course, is also injured. For the moment, many players are out, but it’s important to continue this good work.”"
Next: Southampton Look to Regroup, Take Key Points vs Inter
This match has come at a brilliant time for Southampton: the Saints are in form and Inter are unstable. If the Saints can capitalize on their weakened opponents, qualification for the Round of 32 will be in their sights.
Lassner’s Prediction: Southampton 2-0 Internazionale Milan