Lazio vs. Inter: stats and trivia

MILAN – Inter are set to play their third game of the 2020/21 Serie A season: at 15:00 CEST on Sunday 4 October, the Nerazzurri will come up against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. Here are all the facts and figures that you need to know ahead of the clash in Rome.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

Inter and Lazio will be meeting for the 155th time in Serie A. The Nerazzurri currently have the edge over their opponents, with their record against the Biancocelesti reading as follows: 64 wins, 53 draws and 37 defeats.

Since Simone Inzaghi has been at the helm, Lazio have never scored against Inter in four matches during the first half of a Serie A campaign, also conceding seven goals (D1, L3).

There have been 77 encounters between Lazio and Inter with the former as the home team. Since the 2014/15 season, the Nerazzurri have won four away matches against the Biancocelesti in Serie A (L2): only against Udinese have they recorded more victories on the road in the same period (five). The Nerazzurri and Biancocelesti haven’t drawn at the Olimpico in the league since March 2008.

STATE OF PLAY

Inter have scored nine goals in their first two matches this season (four at home to Fiorentina and five away to Benevento). The Nerazzurri have never done better after two matchdays in this regard. Inter’s goalscoring record after three matches in the Italian top flight is 13, which they achieved in 1960/61. Since the league restarted after lockdown, Inter are the team to have scored the most goals (41) in Serie A.

Out of the teams who have played in Serie A over the past two seasons, Inter (two) and Lazio (three) are in the top three in the league when it comes to the fewest defeats suffered in Serie A home matches since the start of last year’s campaign: only Juventus (one) have done better. However, Lazio have lost 50% (seven) of their last 14 matches in Serie A (W6, D1). In all of these defeats, they’ve conceded at least two goals.

GENERAL STATS

No team has scored more goals than Inter from inside the box this season: eight, level with Napoli. Antonio Conte’s team have scored a third of their goals inside the opening 30 minutes of play at the start of this Serie A campaign (3/9). All of these came against Benevento.

In 2020, Lazio are the team that have picked up the most points from losing positions (19) in the Top Five European leagues.

PLAYER FOCUS

Lazio are the team that Arturo Vidal has been involved in the most goals against in Serie A (six: four goals and two assists). Furthermore, the Olimpico is the only stadium in which the Inter midfielder has scored more than once in an away match in the competition (a brace in April 2013 against the Biancocelesti).

Achraf Hakimi provided an assist in his first two Serie A appearances with Inter. The last Nerazzurri player to achieve the same feat was Houssine Kharja in 2011.

Roberto Gagliardini has been involved in three goals in his last two Serie A appearances (a goal and two assists), as many as he had contributed to in 17 matches prior to this.

Lautaro Martinez has scored in his last two Serie A appearances but has never found the net for three consecutive games in the Italian top flight.

There are a number of former Lazio players who could be named in Inter's starting line-up: Stefan de Vrij, who played his first 95 league matches for the Biancocelesti (before moving to the Nerazzuri); Aleksander Kolarov, who made his Serie A debut in the Lazio shirt; Samir Handanovic, who played in goal for Lazio and kept a clean sheet in May 2006 against Parma.

COACHES

Antonio Conte has lost just one of his past eight fixtures in Serie A against Lazio, winning five and drawing two.

Lazio’s Coach, Simone Inzaghi, has lost three home games against Inter: he hasn’t lost more home matches against any other team in the competition (three against Napoli and Juventus).

SUSPENDED AND THOSE WALKING THE TIGHTROPE

Lazio: -

Inter: -