Reggina vs Inter Milan

Last season’s Serie A runners-up Inter Milan head to the Stadio Oreste Granillo to meet Serie B side Reggina in their ultimate mid-season friendly.

Reggina’s hopes of securing a long-awaited Serie A return for the first time since their ill-fated 2008/09 top-flight relegation season are alive and kicking, with Filippo Inzaghi’s team sitting third in the Serie B standings, only three points adrift of Frosinone. Much of the credit for Reggina’s genuine promotion pursuit goes to the recent impressive spell of form, with ‘Gli Amaranto’ only losing once in their last eight league outings (W4, D3). However, they’ve developed a habit of upsetting home fans of late, going winless in four of their five previous home fixtures in Italy’s second-tier competition (D2, L2), including a drab 0-0 draw against Bari last time out. Interestingly, before that game, each of Reggina’s eight previous home league matches this season had featured over 2.5 total goals.

On the other hand, Inter Milan’s bid to win the Scudetto for the second time in three years has no reasonable foundation, as ‘I Nerazzurri’ already trail Serie A leaders Napoli by a substantial 11 points despite beating Atalanta 3-2 last time out. Simone Inzaghi’s men have enjoyed a decent mid-season break thus far, registering consecutive wins over Gzira and RB Salzburg by an aggregate score of 10-1 before a 1-1 draw against Real Betis in their latest friendly contest. Before that stalemate, four of Inter’s previous fixtures had produced 4+ total goals at an average of 5.75 goals per match, highlighting the potential for an enthralling, high-scoring affair.