Inter – Atalanta: Official Lineups, Chivu and Palladino Mirror Tactics as De Ketelaere Returns
The 29th round of the Serie A season continues with Inter – Atalanta. Cristian Chivu and Raffaele Palladino have named their starting lineups for the clash, which sees both coaches fielding a three-man defensive base and Atalanta list Charles De Ketelaere among the substitutes after an extended absence.
Official Lineups for Inter – Atalanta
Inter line up in a 3-5-2 with Sommer in goal. The back three: Bisseck, Akanji and Carlos Augusto. The midfield five reads Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Sucic and Dimarco, while the forward pair is Esposito and Thuram. Available on the bench: Di Gennaro, J. Martinez, De Vrij, Luis Henrique, Bonny, Acerbi, Frattesi, Diouf, Mkhitaryan, Darmian, Lavelli, Kaczmarski and Bastoni. The team is coached by Cristian Chivu.
Atalanta start with a 3-4-2-1. Carnesecchi is the goalkeeper; Scalvini, Djimsiti and Kolasinac form the back three. The midfield quartet is Zappacosta, De Roon, Pasalic and Bernasconi. Samardzic and Zalewski play behind the lone striker, Scamacca. On the bench are Rossi, Sportiello, Kossounou, Hien, Bakker, Musah, Sulemana, Ederson, Bellanova, De Ketelaere, Ahanor and Krstović. Raffaele Palladino is the Atalanta coach.
Chivu and Palladino: Shared Approach, Recent Pain and De Ketelaere’s Recovery
The two young coaches present similar tactical ideas: both are described as favoring a three-man defense and embrace rest — a day off after a defeat — as part of recovery for their squads. Both were noticeably reserved at the pre-match stage, reflecting recent difficult results for their teams: Inter suffered another derby defeat, while Atalanta endured an unexpected heavy scoreline that was described as a tennis-like result. Atalanta sit seventh and are five points off the fourth place position.
Charles De Ketelaere is back in the matchday group for Atalanta after a period sidelined by a knee problem. He had been out since playing his last match on February 1 in the Como fixture that finished 0-0. De Ketelaere missed cup and European commitments and five domestic league matches during his absence. For this game he is listed among the substitutes, starting on the bench with the possibility of being introduced in the second half for a brief spell.
The game brings together two teams seeking quick responses: Inter after the derby setback and Atalanta aiming to recover from their recent heavy defeat and close the gap on the Champions League positions. Managers Chivu and Palladino will both deploy their preferred three-at-the-back systems and hope their tactical alignment yields immediate improvements on the pitch.
