Serie A: Chivu’s Inter Milan are Picking Up Steam

Inter Milan vs Cremonese

Inter Milan are far from where they want to be so far this season, but they’re making progress under head coach Cristhian Chivu. After a mini-slump in September, the Nerazzurri are suddenly on a four-game winning streak across all competitions, including two consecutive league victories. As a result, Inter Milan improved to fifth in the Serie A standings with nine points.

Believe it or not, Inter Milan have the same points as Cremonese, who are two notches below them. Davide Nicola’s men are doing well in their first season back in the Italian top-flight since their relegation in 2023, and a seemingly unlikely victory over Inter Milan could propel them to the Top 4.

The pregame SBOTOP betting odds don’t expect that to happen this Saturday evening at San Siro, but bear in mind that Cremonese are one of the few undefeated teams left in Italy so far.

 

Talking Points

Inter Milan suffer huge injury blow

Inter Milan started their season well with a 5-0 battering of Torino. After that, they suffered back-to-back setbacks against Udinese (2-1) and Juventus (4-3), but they bounced back with Champions League victories against Ajax (2-0) and Slavia Praha (3-0) and league victories over Sassuolo (2-1) and Cagliari (2-0). 

Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez were instrumental in the Nerazzurri’s four-game winning streak. However, the team has a reason to worry, as the former sustained a knock during yesterday’s win against Slavia Praha. Thuram was forced off in the 66th minute, as the Frenchman tweaked his leg during the build-up to Martinez’s second goal.

Thuram has been one of the standout players for Inter Milan this season, leading the team in scoring with three goals so far. He said that his knock is minor, but head coach Cristhian Chivu will likely be cautious with him as we’re approaching the October international break.

If Thuram is absent against Cremonese, there will be more playing time for Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny, who both came off the bench last night. The two youngsters have already opened their accounts this term with a goal apiece.

 

Cremonese could finally play Vardy

Cremonese pulled off a massive coup by signing Jamie Vardy last offseason. However, he has only played once this season during the team’s goalless draw against Hellas Verona on the third matchday. As it turns out, Nicola is taking a cautious approach with the 38-year-old, who had been dealing with a minor leg injury.

Head coach Davide Nicola has primarily deployed a 3-5-2 formation, with David Okereke, Federico Bonazzoli, Antonio Sanabria, Franco Vazquez, and Dennis Johnson taking turns spearheading I Grigriorossi’s attack.

However, Cremonese have yet to find the right formula in the final third, as the mentioned forwards only have two goals between them so far. In fact, centre-back Federico Baschirotto is I Grigriorossi’s leading scorer with two, including the most recent one against Como. Maybe Vardy could provide that missing spark this Saturday.

 

History

Inter Milan completed a league double over Cremonese when the latter was promoted to the Italian top-flight in 2022-23. The Nerazzurri won 3-1 in the first match in August 2022, as Joaquin Correa, Nicolo Barella, and Lautaro Martinez found the back of the net for Inter Milan, while David Okereke scored a late consolation goal for Cremonese. In the reverse fixture in January 2023, Inter Milan overturned a one-goal deficit created early by Okereke, as Martinez bagged a brace.

Cremonese fell to Serie B after finishing 19th in the Serie A table with only 27 points. Last season, I Grigriorossi secured their Serie A promotion by beating Spezia 3-2 in the play-off last May, despite finishing fourth in the second division table.

 

Betting Tip

As mentioned, the Serie A 2025 odds predict a routine win for the Nerazzurri this Saturday. Inter Milan are 1.20 favourites to win at home, whereas Cremonese are 9.80 underdogs, and a draw is pegged at 5.90 in the 1X2 market. However, based on their recent meetings, we are not expecting Inter Milan to shut out Cremonese. 

With that said, both sides should be part of this week’s Serie A 2025 highlights reel, with the hosts likely to score more goals. Besides our recommended bet, bettors might consider adding Over 2.75 at 1.58 and Total Goals 2-3 at 2.19 to the parlay. Moreover, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Inter Milan – the result of their last Serie A encounter – could yield a payday worth 9.40 your bet.

   

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