2003/2004
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 1-3 Brescia 29-02-2004
Italian Serie A Brescia 2-2 Inter Milan 18-10-2003
2002/2003
Italian Serie A Brescia 0-1 Inter Milan 19-04-2003
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 4-0 Brescia 01-12-2002
2001/2002
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 2-1 Brescia 14-04-2002
Italian Serie A Brescia 1-3 Inter Milan 09-12-2001
2000/2001
Italian Serie A Brescia 1-0 Inter Milan 29-04-2001
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 0-0 Brescia 17-12-2000
1997/1998
Italian Serie A Brescia 0-1 Inter Milan 01-02-1998
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 2-1 Brescia 31-08-1997
1994/1995
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 1-0 Brescia 19-02-1995
Italian Serie A Brescia 0-0 Inter Milan 18-09-1994
1992/1993
Italian Serie A Brescia 1-3 Inter Milan 18-04-1993
Italian Serie A Inter Milan 2-1 Brescia 29-11-1992
Inter – Brescia
Looking at InterÂ’s statistics, with just 3 wins and 12 draws, you would be safer betting on a draw for this encounter. However the Nerazzuri can and must win this match against relegation-battlers Brescia. ManciniÂ’s side is now definitely out of the title race but at least can still reach the third place. To do so Inter must win games, starting from SundayÂ’s encounter against De BiasiÂ’s Brescia.
DAVIDS RULED OUT OF BRESCIA CLASH
APPIANO GENTILE - After this morning's training session the Nerazzurri were instructed to re-convene at Angelo Moratti Sports Centre at 19:00 this evening for the start of the pre-match retreat ahead of tomorrow afternoon's game at home to Brescia. With the exception of Veron and Kily González (both on leave because of their unavailability to coach Roberto Mancini), all the Nerazzurri will attend the squad's Christmas dinner, scheduled for 20:00.
Edgar Davids is ruled out of Inter's last match of 2004 after complaining of pain in his groin. The Dutch midfielder has been rested as a precaution.
INTER V BRESCIA: 20 NERAZZURRI CALLED UP
APPIANO GENTILE - Roberto Mancini has named a twenty-man squad for Sunday afternoon's Serie A TIM Week 16 match at home to Brescia:
Goalkeepers: 1 Francesco Toldo, 12 Alberto Fontana, 15 Fabian Carini
Defenders: 2 Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, 3 Nicolas Burdisso, 4 Javier Zanetti, 11 Sinisa Mihajlovic, 13 Zé Maria , 23 Marco Materazzi, 26 Giovanni Pasquale
Midfielders: 5 Emre Belozoglu, 6 Cristiano Zanetti, 7 Andy van der Meyde, 19 Esteban Cambiasso, 25 Dejan Stankovic
Strikers: 9 Julio Ricardo Cruz, 10 Adriano, 20 Alvaro Recoba, 30 Obafemi Martins, 32 Christian Vieri
Javier Zanetti most present Inter player in 2004
With 50 appearances for Inter in 2004, captain Javier Zanetti is Italian football's most present player this year. With one match to go, there is no catching El Tractor, who is also top of the list for the number of minutes played (4292).
Adriano top scorer in 2004
2004 has been Adriano's year. With ninety minutes of the footballing year to go, the Brazilian is top of the Serie A scorers list and also that which includes all competitions. Since January Adriano has scored 24 league goals, the same as Gilardino and one more than Ballon d'Or winner Shevchenko. Including all competitive matches, Adriano has netted 34 times, two more than Shevchenko and Livorno's Cristiano Lucarelli.
Vieri hot in December
According to the statistics, December is Christian Vieri's most prolific month. Of his 147 goals in the Serie A and B, Bobogol has scored 26 in the twelfth calendar month (19 in A and 7 in B). With goals against Messina and Siena this year, December is indeed a Vieri hot month for the Nerazzurri striker.
Milestone appearances for C.Zanetti, Materazzi
If they play in Sunday's Lombardy derby, Cristiano Zanetti and Marco Materazzi will make their 100th appearances for Inter. Zanetti, who made his debut in Skonto Riga 1-3 Inter in the Champions League qualifying round on 26 August 1998, has played 69 matches in the Serie A, 4 in the Coppa Italia and 26 in Europe. Materazzi made his Nerazzurri debut in the 4-1 win at home to Perugia on 26 August 2001 and has played 67 league matches, 1 in the domestic cup and 31 in continental cup competitions.
Inter unbeaten for 26 matches
Christian Vieri's late equaliser at Siena made sure Inter continue their long unbeaten run. The Nerazzurri have now gone 26 matches without defeat, their last zero-pointer the 2-1 loss to Lecce at the Via del Mare Stadium last 2 May. Since then Inter have recorded 11 victories and 15 draws in Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League matches.
Brescia & substitutions
Brescia are one of four Serie A sides who have used all 45 substitutions in the first 15 matches of the 2004/05 Serie A season. The other three are Lazio, Livorno and ChievoVerona.
Brescia & discipline
With 9 red cards in 2004/05, Brescia finished last season as the Serie AÂ’s most undisciplined team. And they're back on top of the bad boys table after 15 matches this season, with 5 sendings-off for De Biasi's Brescia. Zoboli has been sent marching twice, while Almeyda, Di Biagio and Nygaard have also seen red.
Brescia 'records' in 2004
Lombardy derby opponents Brescia can 'boast' several Serie A records in 2004. Del Nero has come on as a substitute 22 times, more than any other Serie A player. With 11 red cards the Swallows are top of the sendings-off list, while Caracciolo is the one of the two most booked players with 11 yellow cards. Siena defender Cirillo is the other player.
De Biasi v Inter
De Biasi has faced Inter four times, with a win, a draw and two defeats. The current Brescia coach has lost one and won one against the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.
In detail:
2002/03 Serie A Modena-Inter 0-2 0-2
2003/04 Serie A Brescia-Inter 2-2 3-1
Mancini v Brescia
Mancini meets Brescia for the sixth time in his coaching career, with two wins, a draw and two defeats from the other five matches. In home matches against the Swallows, Mancini has never drawn, with two victories to his credit and two defeats.
In detail:
2001/02 Serie A Fiorentina-Brescia 1-0 ----
2002/03 Serie A Lazio-Brescia 3-1 0-0
Mancini v De Biasi
The current Inter and Brescia coaches have met on four previous occasions. De Biasi has the edge with two victories to one, the other match a draw.
In detail:
2002/03 Serie A Lazio-Modena 4-0 0-0
2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Brescia 0-1 1-2
Disciplinary situation
Inter
Disqualified: Favalli
Cautioned: Cordoba, Materazzi, Stankovic, Van der Meyde
Former players: -
Brescia
Diqualified: -
Cautioned: Caracciolo, Domizzi, Guana, Mannini, Stankevicius
Former players: Adani (45 appearances, 5 goals in competitive matches from 2002/03 to 2003/04) Almeyda (46 appearances, 1 goal in competitive matches from 2002/03 to 2003/04) Di Biagio (163 appearances, 18 goals in competitive matches from August 1999 to June 2003)
Preview
Internazionale midfielder Dejan Stankovic believes the Nerazzurri's inability to convert draws into wins this season is down to a lack of concentration and communication.
Roberto Mancini's side - who take on struggling Brescia on Sunday - are the only team in Italy's professional ranks that has yet to lose this season, but an incredible 12 draws in 15 games has all but ruined their title chances with Juventus and AC Milan way ahead in the Scudetto race.
Mancini, nicknamed `Mr X' due to the team's large number of matches in the draw column, has often said luck deserted them, while striker Adriano has claimed the pressure for the club to win its first Serie A crown since the glorious 1988-89 season has weighed too heavily on them.
The latest excuse has come from Inter's Dejan Stankovic, the Serbo-Montenegrin midfielder. ``I think our main problem is lack of concentration at times,'' he said.
``We also lack, at times, communication which helps in the difficult moments of a game. Obviously the advantage that Juventus and AC Milan have burns us but we have to think about the present.
``They deserve to be in the top positions but let us not forget that neither have been able to beat us so far. We have to be the ones to change.''
The latest draw, a 2-2 result at Siena, truly irked owner Massimo Moratti. Inter had earned a point against Juventus, and followed that with a comprehensive victory over Messina, and Moratti thought his players were starting to build some momentum.
``We really should have won at Messina - period,'' Moratti said. ``We should have given a display of continuity considering what we had achieved in the previous two weeks, but this was not the case.
``Certainly the missed penalty by Adriano influenced the draw, but then again it's not as if he missed it.
``When you hit the post, it means you've been unlucky.'' The real problem for Inter is that the team have given away too many goals from set pieces. Free-kicks and corners have cost them 12 points.
``I'm really fed up,'' Moratti said. ``How can it be that you give away goals in dead-ball situations? They really need to find a solution to this problem.''
Fortunately for Inter, they are so good going forward with Adriano that the woeful defending has not put them in the lower part of the table.
If Inter believe they have been unlucky, Brescia have a right to feel even more aggrieved after last week's defeat against Roma left them fifth bottom.
Two minutes into injury time, Brescia defender Victor Maresco gave away a penalty after handling the ball.
Mancini, Roma's Brazilian midfielder, converted the spot-kick for the only goal of the match. Brescia boss Gigi De Biasi said: ``We still have an advantage over the teams in the relegation zone and I believe the fact that we have a team of new, and young players, that we would have accepted to be in this position at this point of the season.''
Inter winger Kily Gonzalez has already returned to Argentina for the Christmas break as he is still injured and unable to play while defender Giuseppe Favalli serves a one-match ban.
The good news for Brescia is the return of captain Luigi Di Biagio, who missed last weekend's game through injury.
Otherwise, Brescia are set to play with the same starting line-up that lost against Roma last weekend.
Inter should win.