Inter's Firepower Faces Depleted Como in Sunday's San Siro Showdown

This is a fixture that looks straightforward on paper. The thing is, football does not care about paper. But when you strip away the sentiment and look at the basics, Inter hold every significant advantage heading into Sunday's 17:00 kick-off.

Inter's Form Demands Respect

Four wins from five Serie A matches. Fifteen goals scored in that sample. Inter are not just winning, they are winning with a level of attacking output that any opponent should fear. Their most recent result, a 2-2 draw with Roma, is the only blemish. Before that, they put five past Udinese and three past Napoli. That is serious goalscoring form.

The one concern is at the back. Inter have conceded eight goals across those five matches. A clean sheet percentage of twenty means they are keeping the door shut only once in five outings. That is not a standard a club of Inter's size should be comfortable with. They need to compete harder defensively. End of.

Como Are Coming In Wounded

Como have two suspended players unavailable for this fixture. That is a significant problem for a side that already carries vulnerability. They have not kept a single clean sheet across their last five Serie A matches, conceding six goals in that spell. Their attack has moments of quality, three wins in five tells you that. Como beat Napoli 2-1 and beat Genoa 4-1 in that sample. Credit where it is due.

But they lost 0-2 to Frosinone in their most recent completed match. That result tells me something about their consistency. You cannot be a side that beats Napoli one week and loses to Frosinone the next if you want to be taken seriously. That is an attitude and accountability problem. Simple as that.

Head-to-Head: One Meeting, Plenty of Goals

There is only one previous meeting on record between these two sides in this competition. Inter won that encounter 4-3. Seven goals in one match between these clubs. Both sides scored. Neither kept a clean sheet. That single data point does not define what happens on Sunday, but it tells you these two sides are capable of producing an open, high-scoring affair when they meet.

The Suspension Problem for Como

Two suspensions in your squad heading into a fixture against a side in this kind of form is not a minor inconvenience. It is a serious handicap. Listen, you cannot control suspensions after the fact, but players earn them. If your squad is already limited and you are further weakening it through indiscipline, that is unacceptable at any level. Como's management will need to solve that problem quickly, starting here.

What to Expect on Sunday

Inter are the right side to back at home. Their Serie A form in this sample is convincing and their attacking players have been ruthless. Como will cause them problems because they have shown enough quality to hurt teams. But arriving in Milan short-handed, without a clean sheet in five matches, and on the back of a defeat to Frosinone, Como face a steep climb.

The thing is, if Inter defend with the same looseness they have shown recently, this match will have goals at both ends. Both teams to score has landed in four of Como's last five Serie A matches and in four of Inter's last five as well. That pattern is hard to ignore.

Inter to win. Expect goals. The basics will decide it, and right now Inter have more of them.