Stats and trivia ahead of Inter vs. Sampdoria

MILAN – With the Nerazzurri having begun their Europa League adventure with a 2-0 win in the first leg of their round of 32 tie with Ludogorets, it’s now time for Antonio Conte’s men to focus on their upcoming matchday 25 clash against Sampdoria in Serie A.

In collaboration with Opta, here are all the facts and figures that you need to know ahead of Sunday’s 20:45 CET kick-off at the Meazza.

INTER VS. SAMPDORIA, PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN SERIE ASunday’s fixture will be the 126th time that Inter and Sampdoria have met each other in Serie A. The Nerazzurri’s record against the Blucerchiati in the league reads as follows: 68 wins, 37 draws, 20 defeats.

Sampdoria are the side that Inter are currently enjoying the longest winning streak against in the Italian top flight: the Nerazzurri have won their last five encounters with the Blucerchiati in Serie A. The most frequent scoreline between Inter and Sampdoria in the league has been 0-0, with this having been the result on 16 occasions. The last goalless draw between the sides came in February 2010.

Inter have lost just one of their last 17 matches in Serie A against Sampdoria at San Siro (1-2 in April 2017). The Nerazzurri won eleven and drew five of those fixtures.

FORM After 24 games this season, Inter have the same record as they had at the same stage during the 2009/2010 season: 54 points following 16 wins, six draws and two defeats. The number of goals scored is also identical, although the Nerazzurri have conceded two more this campaign. The two defeats that Inter have suffered this season came against the top two teams in the league. The Nerazzurri have averaged 2.5 points per game against the other 17 sides in Serie A.

Sampdoria beat Torino to pick up three points in their last away fixture in Serie A. The Blucerchiati are yet to win when they've come up against teams in the top half of the table this campaign (three draws, nine losses), while Inter are unbeaten against sides in the bottom half (ten wins, three draws).

GENERAL STATISTICS This match will pit the team that has scored the most goals in the first 15 minutes (five for Inter, level with Atalanta and Lazio) against the side that has conceded the most during the same time period (Sampdoria, seven goals). The Blucerchiati tend to score late on: on average, they’ve netted their first goal in the 62nd minute during matches this Serie A campaign, later than any other side. Furthermore, they’ve scored the first goal on just four occasions so far this season, less than any other team. Inter, meanwhile, have been the most successful in this regard (19 times, level with Juventus).

Inter have netted the most headed goals this Serie A season (eleven), while Sampdoria have conceded eight in this manner, the fourth-worst record in the league. 24 of the Nerazzurri’s goals this season have come from new signings, at least six more than any other team. Meanwhile, Sampdoria have the worst record in this respect: just one new addition has netted so far (Bonazzoli in September 2019), with this also applying to Lazio.

PLAYER FOCUSDuring his four matches in Serie A with Inter, Young has been involved in two goals (one goal, one assist). The Englishman’s goal against Lazio means that the Nerazzurri have now had 15 different goalscorers this season, more than any other side.

Inter defender Milan Skriniar made his Serie A debut while at Sampdoria, for whom he played 38 times in Italy’s top tier between 2016 and 2017. Three of the four goals the Slovakian player has scored in the competition have come at San Siro, the first of which he netted against the Blucerchiati in October 2017.

Romelu Lukaku found the net in the #DerbyMilano: the Belgian striker hasn’t scored in two consecutive home matches in the league since December 2018, when he netted against Fulham and Bournemouth at Old Trafford for Manchester United. Lautaro Martínez has scored in his last two fixtures at San Siro in Serie A.

Brozovic and Skriniar (1502) are the two players that have made the most passes so far this Serie A campaign.

The only goal scored by Alexis Sánchez for Inter in Serie A came against Sampdoria earlier on in the season.

Andrea Ranocchia made 14 appearances for Sampdoria during the second half of the 2015/16 campaign, while goalkeepers Padelli and Berni were also once on the Blucerchiati’s books. While the former never played for the Ligurian side in the Italian top flight, the latter turned out for Sampdoria on three occasions in 2012/13.

COACHESThere have been no draws in three previous encounters between Antonio Conte and Claudio Ranieri. The current Nerazzurri Coach has won twice and lost once against his fellow Italian.