Inter Milan vs Como
Inter Milan vs Como Preview
There’s a real edge to this one. Inter Milan host Como at San Siro on Sunday afternoon with the reigning champions needing a response after one of their worst weeks of the season, and their visitors arriving in the kind of form that has the whole of European football doing a double take. Two Lombard clubs separated by two points in the table, both chasing Lazio at the top, and a rivalry that has been almost entirely one-sided historically — but which is starting to feel a little less predictable with every passing month.
Inter’s week started with the humiliation of Derby della Madonnina. AC Milan were rampant, two goals up early and eventually winning 3-1, ending a 19-game unbeaten Serie A run for the Nerazzurri and dropping them three points behind leaders Lazio. Illness had swept through Cristian Chivu’s squad and those fit enough to start simply couldn’t cope. It was ugly. The only positive was that Inter had little time to dwell on it, heading to Rotterdam midweek and putting Feyenoord to the sword 3-0 in the Champions League — Bisseck, Esposito and Zielinski on the scoresheet. That result steadied the ship a touch, but Sunday is about Serie A, and Inter need points on the board.
Meanwhile, Como keep doing things nobody expected them to. The debutants have made the Champions League their playground, following up a 4-1 win over Manchester United with an astonishing 9-1 dismantling of Lens in France on Wednesday night. Tasos Douvikas bagged a hat-trick in that one. In Serie A, they have already set a club record with 23 points from their first 10 games. Cesc Fabregas has built something genuinely exciting here, and while history is stacked against them in this fixture, they are not short of confidence right now.
Inter Milan vs Como Form
Inter’s form chart is a bit of a jumble when you throw all competitions together. The derby defeat was a jolt to the system — not just the result but the manner of it, being swept aside by a team riding similar momentum. Prior to that, the Nerazzurri had been impressively consistent in Serie A, that 19-game unbeaten run a testament to their defensive structure and cutting edge up top. The win at Feyenoord will have done a bit to restore confidence, with Pio Esposito scoring his first club goal since September and Zielinski reminding everyone of his quality in midfield. But a game of that nature, against a side who beat them earlier in the Champions League campaign, is a different animal to what awaits on Sunday.
Como’s recent run is simply ridiculous by any measure. Six wins on the bounce across all competitions, 22 goals scored, only four conceded. The Lens result in particular was not just a big scoreline — it was a statement. These are not a team riding their luck or grinding out results on the counter. They are playing expansive, high-tempo football and punishing teams who give them space. In Serie A the story is similarly impressive: a club record points total at the 10-game mark, and genuine title conversation starting to build around them. For a side that came up from Serie B not so long ago, it is a remarkable transformation under Fabregas.
The concern for Como when you look at their form more closely is what happens when they face genuine top-end defensive organisation. Inter, whatever their recent wobbles, still set up with real structure at the back when fully fit, and the head-to-head record against Como suggests that the Biancoblu have consistently struggled to unlock them. The 9-1 win over Lens is an extraordinary scoreline, but Lens are not Inter Milan. Fabregas will know that himself.
Inter Milan vs Como Head to Head
The historical record here is about as one-sided as it gets. Inter have won 14 consecutive Serie A home games against Como, keeping a clean sheet in eight of the last nine meetings. Their last 11 top-flight encounters have all gone the way of the Nerazzurri, and that run includes a Coppa Italia semi-final tie as well. The most recent league meeting at San Siro ended 4-0 to Inter last December — a chastening afternoon for Fabregas’s side. That cup semi-final second leg was a much more competitive affair and Como were arguably unlucky not to reach the final, but when it comes to Serie A head-to-heads in this stadium, the Biancoblu have yet to find an answer.
It is worth noting that Fabregas himself has a strange personal connection to this fixture — Inter tried to appoint him as their head coach in the summer of 2025 before eventually hiring Chivu. He chose to stay at Como instead, and in every subsequent league meeting against his former suitors, he has come away empty-handed. Four Serie A defeats by a 12-3 aggregate scoreline. The desire to finally break that duck will be enormous, and his side have arguably never come into this fixture in better shape. But the patterns here are hard to ignore.
Inter Milan vs Como Lineups
Illness had hit Inter’s squad hard going into the derby last week, but there are some positive signs on the injury front ahead of Sunday. Benjamin Pavard, John Stones and Curtis Jones have all returned to full training and could feature from the bench, which gives Chivu some useful options even if they are probably not quite ready to start. Alessandro Bastoni is fully available after serving a UEFA suspension in the Champions League win over Feyenoord, which is significant — he scored in the derby, he is a key organiser at the back, and his presence shores up Inter’s defensive leadership. Lautaro Martinez, however, remains out until after the international break, and Luis Henrique is also ruled out, so Pio Esposito is likely to lead the line again off the back of that midweek goal.
Como face a longer absentee list coming into this one. Fabregas is without Moise Kean, Trevoh Chalobah, Jesus Rodriguez, Jayden Addai and Assane, which represents meaningful disruption to his usual options. That said, the core of what has made Como so dangerous this season remains available. Douvikas started the Lens game and ran riot, and Nico Paz continues to be one of the most exciting players in Serie A this season. Those two have nine Champions League goals between them and 11 combined goal involvements in the league — but it is worth flagging that Douvikas has drawn a blank in all five of his previous appearances against Inter. Whether the history weighs on him or whether this is the game he finally breaks that duck remains to be seen.
Inter Milan vs Como Tactics
Chivu has built Inter around a compact defensive shape that invites pressure and punishes transitions, and you would expect that blueprint to be even more deliberately cautious at home to a Como side who have been so free-scoring. Bastoni’s return gives the back line its natural leader, and with Zielinski and the midfield engine room behind Esposito, Inter will look to get the ball forward quickly and use the striker’s movement to stretch Como’s defence. The concern is that fatigue could be a factor — this is their third game in eight days — but the squad depth issues that plagued them last week are easing slightly with those returning from injury.
Fabregas sets Como up to press aggressively and move the ball at speed through central areas, and that has worked brilliantly against opposition who leave gaps. The challenge here is that Inter at San Siro, particularly with Bastoni back in defence, tend to be disciplined and hard to break down in central zones. Como may find more joy on the flanks if they can get Paz drifting wide and creating overloads, but the 4-0 scoreline from their last visit suggests those channels can be neutralised too. Fabregas will want his side to use the ball with more patience than they typically need to — sitting back and waiting for Inter to come forward is not going to suit either side, so the game will likely be decided by which team wins the battle in the middle of the pitch.
Inter Milan vs Como Prediction and Betting Tips
Everything points toward Inter getting back to winning ways here. The head-to-head record is overwhelming, the return of Bastoni gives their backline proper leadership, and Como — for all their brilliant recent form — have consistently struggled to score against this Inter side. Douvikas has not netted in five prior meetings with the Nerazzurri, and while Paz is capable of anything, Inter’s defensive setup tends to nullify exactly the kind of central creative play that Como rely on. After a chastening derby and a solid midweek win to settle the nerves, Chivu’s side will be motivated to put on a proper performance for their own fans.
The clean sheet angle is worth pursuing here as well. Inter have kept eight clean sheets in nine home league games against Como, Bastoni is back, and a depleted Como squad — missing five players including Kean — may not have the firepower to test them consistently across 90 minutes. Inter Win and Under 2.5 Goals feels like the smart angle: a controlled home win, probably by the odd goal, without the game opening up into the kind of end-to-end affair that would suit the visitors.