Serie A Matchday 9 puts bottom placed Venezia against leaders Inter Milan on 28 October 2026. Venezia sit 20th with three points from eight games, already carrying the worst goal difference in the division after a 1-0 defeat to Genoa, whereas Inter are level on points with Lazio at 22, having come from behind to beat Fiorentina 2-1 on the same day. Stoppage time goals from Marcus Thuram and Piotr Zielinski rescued that Fiorentina game and if you want a shorthand for the gap between these two squads right now, that comeback versus Venezia's 0-1 loss to Genoa is probably it.
Davide Nicola and Cristian Chivu have no prior meetings as managers and the circumstances around each appointment could hardly be more different. Nicola replaced Giovanni Stroppa at Venezia on 14 October 2026, handed the job after Stroppa was sacked with zero points from seven fixtures, leaving Nicola barely two weeks to prepare before facing the league leaders, whereas Chivu has been settled at Inter since June 2025 with his contract already extended through 2028.
Venezia are missing Marin Sverko (hip), Bartol Franjic (shoulder), Andrea Adorante (hernia) and Thierry Correia (thigh, doubtful), which thins both their defensive and attacking options considerably. Gianluca Busio returns as captain and will need to do much of the organisational work from midfield, while John Yeboah, whose contract was extended in October, is the one forward with the pace to exploit space behind Inter's line. Inter are without Lautaro Martinez, sidelined with a thigh injury until early or mid November, which means Chivu will likely start Thuram as the lone striker, Thuram has already scored five or more times in the league and provided the late equaliser against Fiorentina.
Nicola has set Venezia up in a 3-5-2 but without Sverko, Franjic and Adorante the back three is thinner and forward rotation is almost non-existent, pushing more responsibility onto Busio to screen the defence and move the ball. Inter's system is built around central control, so the central question is whether Busio can force their midfield wide rather than through the lines. If he can, Venezia might keep it tight for the opening half hour, if Inter are allowed to recycle possession freely through the middle, gaps will appear quickly enough. The 3-5-2 does give Venezia a chance to threaten from set pieces, though losing Sverko and Franjic removes aerial presence and Inter's wide deliveries from attacking corners could become a serious problem when those duels are being contested by inferior replacements.
Inter have won the last five meetings between these sides, including a 5-1 Coppa Italia win in December 2025, with an aggregate of 11-2 and no draws, which makes the prediction here a fairly straightforward one: Inter 3-1. Yeboah is capable of catching Inter on the counter or converting a set piece, which is probably how the home goal arrives but Venezia's back three is depleted and their forward rotation is almost non-existent once the starting line up is stretched. When the defensive line begins to tire in the second half, Thuram will pull Inter clear, much as he has already done twice this season when the team needed him most.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
