Inter Milan will take on Udinese in their final match of the 2020/21 Serie A season. Uncertainty lies beyond the final day of the campaign for Conte’s side, but for now, they will enter the pitch as the champions and finally get to lay their hands on the Scudetto for the first time since 2010.
Inter’s long wait for the Scudetto is over. Their decision to appoint Antonio Conte, and stick with him in troubling circumstances, has paid off. The Italian returned to his native country to do what he did all those years ago at Juventus – make them the champions of Italy. Conte created a blueprint of a dynasty during his time with the Bianconeri, even if the structures upon his initial success were constructed by Massimiliano Allegri – and briefly – Maurizio Sarri. However, he might not get the chance to do the same at Inter with his own future uncertain, along with the club.
Financial uncertainty has plagued Inter over the last two years, despite the club spending heavily in the transfer windows. The Nerazzurri spent a fortune on Romelu Lukaku, paid the high wages of Alexis Sanchez, and spent big bucks on Achraf Hakimi. At the same time, their owners, Suning, shut operations of their Chinese Super League club, Jiangsu Suning, who had won the league earlier this year. While nothing as drastic is expected to happen with Inter, there is ambiguity about the way forward.
As such, the match against Udinese could be the final time fans see some of the personnel in the iconic black and blue stripes. Hakimi, Lukaku, and Lautaro Martinez have been linked with big moves elsewhere, while Conte’s own future is undetermined. The Italian could leave the club just days after leading them to glory.
Of course, crises are something Udinese rarely suffers from. The Udine-based outfit is one of the most well-run organizations in Italy, perhaps even the entirety of Europe. They may not have the trophies to show for it, but for Udinese, playing in the top-flight year after year is no less than a prize in itself. The Friuliani secured their Serie A status earlier in the season, meaning that the subsequent campaign will be their 27th consecutive in the Italian league.
Udinese are twelfth in the table, and the maximum they can climb is up eleventh. However, they are at risk of falling if beaten by Inter Milan.
Key Players
Inter had to pay big money to get Romelu Lukaku to Milan, but, in retrospect, it was worth it. The Belgian has followed up a great first season by having an even better one second time around. Lukaku has scored 29 goals across all competitions and has provided 10 assists. He led Inter to their first Serie A title in over a decade by netting 23 times in the league – the second-highest tally behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Like Lukaku, Inter paid a considerable amount for Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan arrived from Real Madrid last summer, after two incredible years spent at Borussia Dortmund. Hakimi was key to Conte’s tactical plan, filling in as the right-sided wingback. He proved his worth to the Milanese club by providing 10 assists and scoring 7 goals.
Nine goals and ten assists in the league have added to Rodrigo De Paul’s glowing reputation. The Argentine is Udinese’s star player, and the club is likely to milk as much money as they can out of him this summer. De Paul has been linked with moves in Serie A and Premier League. A player of his skill set, who can play in any advanced position on the pitch, will be in high demand this summer.
Udinese’s links with Watford allowed them to sign Roberto Pereyra on loan for the season. It proved to be a good decision as well, with Pereyra only trailing countryman De Paul in terms of goal contributions in the league. The attacker has scored four goals so far this season in the league. He has also supplied eight assists – two fewer than De Paul, who leads him on both charts.
Prediction
Unquestionably, Internazionale are the favorites ahead of this tie. For all the good Udinese do off the pitch, they are still playing second fiddle to most of the top Italian teams. Inter, meanwhile, will be charged by their title win and the trophy celebrations that will come at the end of the match. It remains to be seen who Conte starts in this match – whether he sticks with key first-team starters or does he play a second-string side. Nonetheless, Inter have enough strength in depth to easily claim all three points from this one.
