Will Inter end the 2025 soccer year at the top of the table?
In Serie A, the last matchday of the 2025 calendar year is scheduled for right after Christmas and before New Year’s Eve. Among other things, this will determine which club will celebrate the new year as the league leader. With Inter Milan, AC Milan, and defending champions SSC Napoli, three clubs are in contention. However, the CL finalist from the summer has the best chances. If the prediction for coach Cristian Chivu’s team comes true on Sunday evening in the top match between Atalanta Bergamo and Inter Milan, then “Il Biscione” will definitely retain its place in the sun.
The fact that the home team is in good form, having picked up momentum since Raffaele Palladino took over as head coach, means that predicting the outcome of the eagerly awaited local derby between Atalanta Bergamo and Inter Milan – the two cities are only about 60 kilometers apart – is by no means a foregone conclusion. There have been six wins and two draws under the 41-year-old coach, who took over from Ivan Juric in mid-November.
Even more impressive: at home, “La Dea” has won all four competitive games with the new man on the sidelines. The 2-1 victory against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League was a particularly strong statement. In light of this, I expect a hard-fought match on Sunday evening at the Gewiss Stadium between the ninth-placed team and the league leaders, in which small details will make the difference. As a consequence of this assumption, I am refraining from putting the odds on an away win between Atalanta Bergamo and Inter Milan on my betting slip.
However, the form of the Scudetto contender from Italy’s fashion capital is also impressive. La Beneamata has been particularly stable in Serie A recently, with Lautaro Martinez and Co. winning six of their last seven league games.
There is also no team that has collected more points away from home than FC Internazionale, but it must also be said that they have had problems throughout the season when it comes to winning important matches against teams of similar quality. Defeats against Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool clearly show that something has always been missing in the big games to achieve better results. Nevertheless, I believe that the league leaders should come away with at least one point on Sunday evening.
Atalanta Bergamo – Inter Milan Head-to-head record
The head-to-head record clearly favors Inter in this duel between the Nerazzurri. Milan have not lost any of their last 15 competitive games against Bergamo. They have been unbeaten since 2018! Inter Milan have won ten of these 15 games (five draws). The Champions League finalists from last season have won eight consecutive games against their neighbors. The last four victories were all clean sheets and with at least a two-goal margin. Will the streak come to an end in Inter’s first match against Atalanta with Cristian Chivu on the bench?
Atalanta Bergamo – Inter Milan Tip
Black and blue meets black and blue on Sunday evening! In the top match of the 17th matchday in Serie A, both Atalanta Bergamo and Inter Milan will have to do without important players. The home side will be without Ademola Lookman, a key player in their offense who was considering a move to their upcoming opponents in the summer and is currently playing for Nigeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Inter will be without injured defenders Acerbi and Dumfries. However, Calhanoglu and Thuram should return to the starting lineup. That’s not the only reason I see the league leaders as slight favorites.
Another reason relates to the head-to-head record, which has recently painted a clear picture in favor of “Il Biscione.”
Six wins from their last seven league games also speak in Inter’s favor. However, considering the host’s good form, I prefer a bet on X2 & Under 3.5 between Atalanta Bergamo and Inter Milan, which somewhat mitigates the risk. My stake is five units.
