Inter Stats | On Spezia vs. Inter

MILAN – The midweek fixture for matchday 32 in Serie A sees Inter take on Spezia at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Wednesday 21 April at 20:45 CEST. The Nerazzurri go into this one after draw with Napoli – their first game without a win after a run of eleven consecutive victories in the girone di ritorno – which saw Conte’s side move to 75 points in the table (nine more than AC Milan). Vincenzo Italiano’s Spezia have won two and lost three of their last five games, and were beaten 4-1 last time out by Bologna after a win on matchday 30 against Crotone. The Aquilotti have 32 points with a record this season of eight wins, eight draws and 15 defeats.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS BETWEEN INTER AND SPEZIA

The two sides meet four months after the reverse fixture, which Inter won 2-1 at the Meazza thanks to goals from Hakimi and Lukaku, before Piccoli grabbed an injury-time goal for Spezia. Before that game, the last meeting between Inter and Spezia was in the first round of the Coppa Italia in August 1989, which the Nerazzurri won 1-0 thanks to a Jürgen Klinsmann goal on his debut for the Club (read more about the game).

Inter have won all of their three games in all competitions against Spezia, with an aggregate score of 10-2. The Nerazzurri are unbeaten against newly-promoted sides in Serie A since September 2018 (when they lost 1-0 at home to Parma). Since then, the record reads 13 wins and two draws.

CURRENT FORM AND STATS

Inter go into this game on 75 points in the league, with the division’s joint-best defence (28 goals conceded, level with Juventus) and second-best attack (70 goals scored, two less than Atalanta). Conte’s team have scored ten of their last twelve Serie A goals in the second half of games; with 48 goals after the break, Inter are the most prolific team of any side in Serie A in the second half.

Spezia, meanwhile, have the worst defence in the second half of game (41 goals conceded after the break). They have also conceded three goals from corners in their last four league games, after have conceded just three from the same set piece in their previous 27 matches. Vincenzo Italiano’s side have won their last two home games in Serie A, as many as the Ligurian outfit won in their first 13 home matches in Serie A this season (D5, L6). In Spezia’s last six games in the league, both teams have scored: 22 goals overall in that time (nine scored, 13 conceded) for an average of 3.7 goals per game.

PLAYER FOCUS

Romelu Lukaku has scored more goals against newly-promoted teams than any other player in Serie A this season: six in four games for the Belgian, including two in the most recent against Benevento. Lautaro Martinez has had a hand in at least one goal in each of his four games against newly-promoted side this season: seven (five goals, two assists), making up 35% of his goal contributions (20: 15 goals, 5 assists).

The first of Roberto Piccoli’s four Serie A goals this season was scored against Inter in the reverse fixture – no Spezia player has been brought on as a substitute more times (11) than Piccoli in the current campaign.

SUSPENDED & CAUTIONED

SPEZIA

SUSPENDED:

None

CAUTIONED:

Ferrer, Gyasi, Ricci

INTER

SUSPENDED:

None

CAUTIONED:

Darmian, Lukaku, Young