Serie A summit: Inter chase a historic record, and a 10-year hoodoo threatens Roma
Fans of Serie A, broadcast on stc tv, are bracing for an unexpected heavyweight clash tomorrow, Saturday, as Roma host Inter Milan at the Olimpico in the fifth round of the Calcio season.
Roma sit level with defending champions Inter at the top of Serie A, both on 12 points. The capital's Wolves hold the edge on goal difference.
According to the Opta statistics network, Roma versus Inter Milan is the highest-scoring fixture in Serie A history. Across 186 matches it has produced 540 goals, 305 of them for Inter and 235 for Roma.
Inter Milan have gone unbeaten in 16 of their last 18 Serie A meetings with Roma, winning 10 and drawing six. Narrow it down further and the picture gets starker: the Nerazzurri have won nine of their last 11 league games against the Giallorossi, losing just twice and scoring 24 goals in the process.
They have also won all of their last five away matches against Roma in Serie A, racking up 11 goals to Roma's two. That is already the longest run of consecutive home defeats Roma have suffered against a single opponent in their Calcio history.
Roma, in fact, have not beaten Inter at the Olimpico in Serie A since 2 October 2016. Nine home games against the Nerazzurri have followed, three drawn and six lost.
Opta continued: "Roma have won their last 9 matches in Serie A, and in the history of their participation in the competition they have only achieved 10 or more consecutive wins twice: 11 wins between May and October 2013, and 11 wins between December 2005 and February 2006."
Victory tomorrow would give Roma their first five wins to open a Serie A campaign for only the third time. They last managed it in 2014-2015 and 2013-2014.
Inter, by contrast, could reach five wins from their first five Serie A games for only the fifth time, having done so in 2023-2024, 2019-2020, 2015-2016 and 1966-1967.
This meeting pits together the two highest scorers in Serie A this season, Inter on 13 goals and Roma on 12. They have also fired off the most shots on target, 32 for Inter and 31 for Roma, and enjoyed the most touches inside the opponent's box, 183 for Roma and 177 for Inter.
