Inter Milan vs Lazio

One of the most exciting match-ups on this weekend’s Serie A football schedule is set to take place at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Inter Milan take on Lazio.

A Covid-19 outbreak in the Bologna camp forced the postponement of Inter Milan’s first Serie A fixture of 2022, but ‘I Nerazzurri’ will still be looking to pick up where they left off in 2021. Simone Inzaghi’s side headed into the Christmas break on a run of six Serie A victories ‘to nil’ en route to reaching an unprecedented milestone in the club’s top-flight history. Another shutout here would see Inter register seven consecutive clean sheets in a single Serie A campaign for the first time since 1971. What’s more, the reigning Italian champions have been a force to be reckoned with at home, as they are enjoying an intimidating 26-game unbeaten league run at the Giuseppe Meazza, last stringing together more Serie A home matches without losing between 2008 and 2010 (46).

On the other hand, Lazio hit back twice to hold newly-promoted Empoli to a goal-friendly 3-3 home draw in their inaugural Serie A game of 2022, meaning they’ve now scored precisely three goals in their last three top-flight outings. However, after winning just 45% of their Serie A matches this season (9/20), ‘I Biancocelesti’ can ill-afford another slip-up if they are to whittle down a six-point gap on fourth-placed Atalanta, who also have a game in hand. The visitors are in need of defensive improvements after conceding a whopping 37 goals after 20 Serie A fixtures, their worst such tally at this stage of a top-flight season since 1960/61. On a rare positive note, Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri has gone unbeaten in his last seven Serie A meetings with Inter (W5, D2). No other manager to have faced ‘I Nerazzurri’ on 10+ occasions boasts a higher winning percentage than him (55%) in a three-points-per-win era.