Talking the business of sports
Inter Milan's first match at San Siro this season against Spezia on Saturday will officially mark Romelu Lukaku return to his home stadium for the first time since he and the Nerazzurri won the Scudetto under Antonio Conte as coach. Inter won both matches these two teams met in last season, outscoring Spezia 5-1 with Lautaro Martinez amassing two goals and two assists in those meetings.
Here's what you need to know:
Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every Serie A match this season, not to mention select games in Italian. Sign up now with offer code ITALY to get a special one month free trial. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content including every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match, the NFL on CBS, and countless movies and shows. Get it all free for one month with promo code ITALY.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 20 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET Location: San Siro -- Milan, Italy TV and live stream: Paramount+ Odds: Inter Milan -675; Draw +675; Spezia +1750 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Inter Milan: The club made it clear on Friday that Milan Skriniar is set to stay at the club this summer despite interest from outside suitors, including PSG. That's great news for the home fans as they will welcome their idol at San Siro on Saturday against Spezia. In the first match against Lecce , Inter maintained 70% of the possession, outshot Lecce 19-10 and generated 2.1 xG to Lecce's 0.7 xG while Lukaku immediately scored on his comeback debut wearing a Nerazzurri's jersey. He's expected to start alongside Martinez in the opening home game as well.
Spezia: Luca Gotti's team is coming off a 1-0 home win over Empoli where it conceded 60% of the possession, were outshot 18-9 and generated just 0.5 xG to Empoli's 0.7 xG despite winning. Spezia only created six chances against Empoli last weekend. Last season, Spezia averaged 7.4 created chances per game, the second-fewest in Serie A. Key player Daniele Verde will miss the match due to a minor injury.
Inter Milan are expected to win the match and the fans hope to see it a different game compared to the one against Lecce, when Nerazzurri struggled and won in the last second of the game. PICK: Inter Milan 2, Spezia 0.
© 2004-2022 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
Images by Getty Images and US Presswire