This is the first time Montella and Ranieri have faced each other as coaches. In the 2010/11 season they both coached Roma: Ranieri resigned after the 4-3 defeat away to Genoa (20 February 2011) and was replaced by Montella.

This is the third time Montella has taken on the Nerazzurri as a coach and he has yet to win: 1 draw and 1 defeat in the two legs of the 2010/12 Coppa Italia semi-final. As a player, Montella was involved in 19 competitive matches against the Nerazzurri, 17 in Serie A and 2 in Coppa Italia: 4 wins for Montella, 6 draws and 9 wins for Inter. Montella hit the net 12 times in those 19 games, making Inter - joint with Fiorentina - his favourite target.

Ranieri, who plied his trade at Catania as a player for two years (1982/83 and 1983/84, 62 appearances and 1 goal in Serie A and Serie B), has faced his former side as a coach 13 times in competitive fixtures before today. He has won 6, drawn 6 (all 1-1) and lost only 1, the defeat coming way back on 4 December 1988: 1-0 in Sicily (Serie C-1).

Catania have lost just one of their last 11 home games in competitive fixtures: that was on 17 April 2011 when, in Serie A, they were beaten 1-4 by Lazio. Of the other 10 matches taken into consideration, the Sicilians have won 8 and drawn 2.

Catania are one of 4 teams - along with Fiorentina, Lazio and Udinese - that are yet to see a sending off in any of their matches in the Serie A 2011/12 season so far, neither on their own team or on the opposition's.

Should he play today, Catania keeper Mariano Gonzalez Andujar will celebrate his 100th appearance with Italian clubs. His previous 99 appearances - wearing the colours of Palermo and Catania - are divided as follows: 88 in Serie A, 4 in Coppa Italia and 7 in European competition. Andujar made his competitive debut for an Italian club on 20 October 2005: Maccabi Petah Tikva 1-2 Palermo (UEFA Cup).

Inter have scored at least once in each of their last 13 competitive matches against Catania (home and away) - 37 goals in total. The last time the Nerazzurri failed to score against them was on 8 January 1984: 0-0 in a Serie A fixture played at the Stadio Cibali (as Catania's home ground was known back then). On that day there was a player called Claudio Ranieri amongst the Sicilian ranks; the same Ranieri who will be in charge of the Nerazzurri this evening.

Inter have won their last 2 competitive away fixtures: against Bologna (1-3 in Serie A) and CSKA Moscow (2-3 in the Champions League). The last time the Nerazzurri didn't win away was on 20 September when they lost to Novara (3-1). Should the Nerazzurri win again this afternoon, it would be their best winning run away from home since October-November 2009, when they put together 4 consecutive victories in Serie A and the Champions League.

Inter have had more penalties awarded against them than any other side in Serie A 2011/12: 3 in their first 5 matches, of which 2 were converted and 1 missed. Since the introduction of 3 points for a win, Nerazzurri goalkeepers have never had to face so many spot kicks in the first 450 minutes of league action.

CATANIA - Inter were at the Stadio Angelo Massimino, and things still weren't going right. The game ended as a 2-1 defeat against Catania, and once again it was a penalty – the fourth one awarded against the Nerazzurri this season – that decided the match.

Inter quickly took the lead through Cambiasso on a cross from Maicon in the 6th minute, and the left-footed volley from "El Cuchu" made it 0-1. Then everything changed in the second half. First came a great goal from Almiron, followed by a penalty awarded for a foul on Berghessio, although it was clear that the player allowed himself to fall under contact with Castellazzi. Lodi then stepped up to the spot and made it 2-1.

FIRST HALF - Claudio Ranieri had to deal with the absence of two suspended players (Ranocchia and Obi) and six players who were still unavailable (Sneijder, Chivu, Coutinho, Forlan, Julio Cesar and Poli). To face Catania he chose Castellazzi in goal, a 4-man midfield of Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari and Stankovic in support of attackers Milito and Pazzini.

A heavy rain welcomed Inter onto the pitch of the Stadio Angelo Massimino and the meeting was a special return for Ranieri; from 1982 to 1984 he wore the Rossoazzurra shirt for a total of 92 matches. And the Nerazzurri coach managed to transmit his own enthusiasm to his team, which went ahead after only 6 minutes of play. It came courtesy of Cambiasso, who finished off a move initiated by Milito and Maicon with a diagonal volley from his left foot to make the score 1-0. The Sicilians showed their teeth in the 16th minute through Izco, when the Italo-Argentine crossed from the end-line and sent a dangerous ball that Maicon cleared with Castellazzi rooted to his line. A chance for Inter came in minute 28 with a cross from Maicon for Milito, whose shot was deflected by Legrottaglie for a corner. In the 33rd minute Izco took off like a bullet and found Gomez in ahead of him, but the Argentine scuffed his shot and Castellazzi collected the rebound, unaffected by the pressure of Bergessio. Three minutes later Spolli went down after contact with Muntari on a corner but was able to continue playing in the rain that showed no sign of stopping. After a minute of injury time both teams went into the dressing rooms with the score at 0-1 from Cambiasso's goal.

SECOND HALF – The whistle blew to start play and Catania immediately became dangerous. Another deadly counterattack in the 47th minute brought them level thanks to Almiron who, served by Bergessio, shot first-time past a helpless Castellazzi. Inter responded at the other end when Maicon crossed to Muntari who had a go with a scissor-kick, but his ambitious attempt was off target. On another Catania attack Berghessio took off and faced down Castellazzi one-on-one before letting himself fall in what was an honest to goodness dive as the keeper went low for the ball and made contact only with the ground.  However, Orsato saw it differently. He booked the Nerazzurri keeper and awarded a penalty that Lodi converted to make the score 2-1.

Inter did not give up. After some nice build-up, Maicon crossed into the box but the danger was cleared by Bellusci. In the 60th minute Ranieri made three substitutions: two tactical (Alvarez and Zarate for Stankovic and Milito) and one obligatory (Samuel left for a muscle problem, replaced by Cordoba in his first appearance of the season). In the 73rd minute Zarate tried his luck from distance, but the ball ended up directly in the hands of Andujar. And two minutes later another excellent chance fell to Catania when Castellazzi saved with his feet on Delvecchio's shot, which Cordoba then cleared for a corner. In the 84th minute Castellazzi was again the protagonist; Catellani seemed sure to bag Catania's third goal when he was sent clear on a long pass, only to see the Nerazzurri keeper, facing him one-on-one in the box, palm the low shot away. Orsato added 4 minutes of injury time and Inter attempted to make the most of it, besieging the Sicilian box until the last possible moment. The ball would not go in, however, and the match ended at 2-1, leaving Inter with the same 4 points in the standings.

CATANIA 2-1 INTER (HT: 0-1)
Scorers: Cambiasso 6, Almiron 47, Lodi 51.

Catania: 21 Andujar; 3 Spolli, 6 Legrottaglie, 14 Bellusci; 13 Izco, 4 Almiron, 10 Lodi, 19 Ricchiuti (Delvecchio 70), 33 Capuano; 17 Gomez (Catellani 81), 18 Bergessio (Maxi Lopez 65).
Unused subs: 30 Campagnolo, 7 Lanzafame, 12 Marchese, 20 Sciacca.
Coach: Vincenzo Montella.

Inter: 12 Castellazzi; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 25, Samuel (Cordoba 62), 55 Nagatomo; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 77 Muntari, 5 Stankovic (Alvarez 60); 7 Pazzini, 22 Milito (Zarate 60).
Unused subs: 21 Orlandoni, 8 Thiago Motta, 42 Jonathan, 30 Castaignos.
Coach: Claudio Ranieri.

Referee: Daniele Orsato (Schio).
Booked: Spolli 43, Castellazzi 50, Zarate 71, Delvecchio 79, Bellusci 90+4.
Added time: 1 + 4 minutes.

starting lineups

substitutes