(Football news) The two teams meet at Stadio Olimpico, where the hosts are looking to continue rising in the rankings under their new coach while Inter is looking for their fifth straight league victory.
Inter defeated Juventus this weekend, solidifying their position as the clear favorites to win the Italian championship again in May. Federico Gatti’s own goal in the first half gave the Milan giants the lead, and Inter managed to keep the opposition at bay until the very end.
Despite having several more opportunities to seal the deal, the Nerazzurri managed to achieve their sixth victory from six games in 2024 with a narrow 1-0 victory. This winning streak has enabled them to stave off their Scudetto rivals and defend the Supercoppa Italiana.
Gatti’s mishap means Inter have become just the second club ever to score in 22 straight matches from the start of a Serie A season, and not only do they now have a four-point lead over Juve – with one game in hand – but momentum is on their side as springtime approaches.
A measure of their sustained excellence is that Simone Inzaghi’s side boast the best goal difference across Europe’s top five leagues, with +41 being one better than German giants Bayern Munich.
Despite a spell on the sidelines through injury, ex-Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard has been integrated into an already impressive back three, behind which Yann Sommer – who also left Munich last year – has proved a more than able replacement for Andre Onana.
As demonstrated by shutting out in-form Juventus, defensive discipline has helped Inter to thwart all-comers, as they have conceded just 10 league goals so far. Only one other side has matched such a record during this century: Roma’s team of 2003-04, overseen by Fabio Capello.
Much weaker than Capello’s crop, Roma has lost five of their previous six Serie A matches against Inter, including the last two in which they were scoreless. This is after they were defeated 1-0 in the rematch in October. Not only that, but the capital club has lost all six of its league matches at Stadio Olimpico, a run that dates back to late 2016.
However, since firing former Inter manager Jose Mourinho last month, Roma has triumphed in all three of their games under new manager Daniele De Rossi. This includes the team’s convincing 4-0 victory over Cagliari last week, in which Paulo Dybala scored twice and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini continued his recent scoring spree.
Also read: AC Milan will play Napoli in Serie A
