Francesco Pio Esposito insisted Inter “cannot be afraid” during the Serie A title race as they prepare for their trip to Udinese.

The Nerazzurri maintained their three-point advantage over rivals AC Milan at the summit with a 1-0 win over Lecce on Wednesday, thanks to Esposito’s winner off the bench.

Only Koln’s Said El Mala (four goals, two assists – 2006 born) is younger than Esposito (two goals, two assists – 2005 born) among players with more than one goal scored and one assist provided from the bench in the top five European Leagues.

Along with their lead over Milan, Inter are also six clear of Serie A holders Napoli and seven ahead of Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus.

When asked if their growing lead adds more motivation or pressure, Esposito was adamant it was the former.

“It motivates us, we cannot be afraid when that is our objective. Every game is difficult, as we saw once again, but we want to hang in there,” Esposito told DAZN Italia.

Following Esposito's winner against Leece, Inter head coach Cristian Chivu ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the striker.

Chivu also coached Esposito during their days in the youth setup, and the 20-year-old explained the importance of his relationship with the coach.

“I saw the coach there, I’m happy, as he had rushed up to celebrate with us when he was the coach of the Primavera youth team too,” added Esposito.

“Our bond is made up of few words, but a lot of affection. He’s one of those people who doesn’t need to say much, you just know he’ll be there for you.

“I’ve known him for years, we practically ‘grew up’ together, him as a coach and me as a player, in the youth team. It’s a very important relationship for me.”

Udinese drew 2-2 at home to Pisa in their last league match, leaving them 10th in Serie A and eight points off the European places.

They have, however, only won once in their last five matches in the competitions (D2 L2), a run that started with a 5-1 defeat at Fiorentina.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Udinese – Keinan Davis

Davis has scored six goals in 19 Serie A appearances this season, twice as many as he managed in 31 games across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns combined.

The Udinese striker, who scored in his last Serie A match, has never found the net in two consecutive games in either the Italian top-flight or the Premier League.

Inter – Lautaro Martinez

Martinez has scored six goals against Udinese in Serie A, finding the net in five different matches; he has only scored in more games against four other teams: Lazio (six), Torino (six), Atalanta (eight), and Cagliari (10).

The Inter forward, who currently has five away goals this season, could become only the third player, after Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, to exceed five away goals in each of the last seven seasons across Europe's top five leagues (since 2019-20).

MATCH PREDICTION: INTER WIN

Inter have collected 46 points in Serie A so far this season; in the previous 10 occasions they have earned 49 or more points after 21 league matches, they have finished in the top two positions (seven first-place finishes, three in second place).

They have won their last five away Serie A matches, conceding just two goals and keeping a clean sheet in their most recent two. The Nerazzurri last won three consecutive away league games with a clean sheet between October 2024 and January 2025 (seven in a row).

And they could reach or exceed 16 wins after 21 Serie A matches (currently 15 victories in 20 games) for the sixth time in their Serie A history. On the previous five occasions they achieved this, they went on to win the Scudetto at the end of the season, most recently in 2023-24.

However, Udinese won the reverse fixture against Inter this season, having previously lost five consecutive league matches against them. They last achieved a league double over Inter in the 2012-13 campaign under Francesco Guidolin.

Udinese have drawn their last two Serie A home matches – as many as they had in their previous 10 (W3 D2 L5); the Friulians have not recorded three consecutive home draws in the competition since February-March 2024.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Udinese – 15.8%

Draw – 21.0%

Inter – 63.2%