Overview
Roma have won five of their opening six Serie A games this season. Notably, the victory over traditional opponent Lazio in the round of the round of the round of the World Cup in Lazio helped them and Napoli share the lead with 15 points.
Giallorossi has successfully built on a solid defense, conceding only 2 goals so far. In the most recent match, only an excellent shot by Moise Kean could defeat goalkeeper Mile Svilar, who is maintaining an impressive clean sheet streak.
Despite falling behind, Roma still beat Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi. They won 2-1 thanks to goals from Matias Soule and Bryan Cristante in the final match before the international break.
Even by comparing them to Atalanta's achievements over the past decade, Gasperini has now set a record for both points earned and goals conceded in at least six games in the first six games of the Serie A season.
However, his side lost to Lille in the Europa League earlier this month. And now they have to face a formidable opponent, who has a historic advantage.
Gasperini's biggest defeat of his career was a 1-7 loss to Inter in March 2017. Like his predecessor Claudio Ranieri at Roma, his short tenure as head coach of the Nerazzurri also ended in defeat.
Moreover, although Soule may have scored the decisive goal in the last meeting at Milan, Roma have yet to beat Inter at Stadio Olimpico for the past 9 years. And in their last eight meetings, they have lost five.
The away team Inter entered this match with a record of winning all 4 recent matches in the capital Roma. They have also scored in 11 consecutive away games against Roma, with an average of more than 2 goals per game.
This time, the Nerazzurri will travel south in top form, despite the interruption of the international break. After a convincing 4-1 victory over Cremonese in Lombardy, Inter are on a 5-match winning streak in all competitions, including the first 2 matches in the Champions League.
With 17 goals in Serie A, coach Cristian Chivu's team is the team with the most goals in the tournament, with 9 different players scoring.
After rising to fifth place, Inter have a chance to overcome Roma if they win another victory. However, they still have a weakness to pay attention to. Half of Inter's goals conceded this season have come in the last 15 minutes of the match. Chivu will have to ensure the defense avoids conceding more goals against their old club.
Personnel situation
While Roma have shown solidity in defence, they have not really stood out in attack. Therefore, Gasperini had to make difficult decisions about the attacking lineup.
Evan Ferguson's most recent goal at club level was nearly a year ago, but he has scored 3 goals in his last 4 matches for the Republic of Ireland. Ferguson will have to compete for a place with Artem Dovbyk, who has just scored in Serie A.
Soule, the winner against Inter last season, has scored three goals in Serie A this season and will face his compatriot Lautaro Martinez. The Inter captain is maintaining impressive form with 4 goals in the last 3 matches, although Chivu currently has many options in attack.
Meanwhile, Marcus Thuram is still struggling with a hamstring injury and will be out, alongside Matteo Darmian, who has calf problems.
Expected lineup:
AS Roma: Svilar, Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Wesley, Cristante, Kone, Tsimikas, Soule, Pellegrini, Dovbyk.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Bonny, Martinez.
The match between AS Roma and Inter Milan takes place at 1:45 am on October 19 (Vietnam time).
