Lazio VS Inter Milan

Lazio's performance at the Metropolitano was subpar, coming just days after a stumble in Serie A against Hellas Verona, where they allowed their opponents to level Mattia Zaccagni's opener and secure a draw. Despite a rare run of three consecutive clean sheets earlier in the season, Lazio has now conceded three goals in their last two games, leaving them in a mid-table position as the halfway stage of the season approaches.

As last season's runners-up, Lazio has amassed only 21 points from the first 15 rounds, a performance not seen since 2015. This places them looking up at city rivals Roma and several other top-six contenders on the league table. Facing an in-form Inter poses a potential concern for coach Maurizio Sarri, although his personal record against the Nerazzurri remains solid: Sarri has won both home games as the Biancocelesti boss against Inter and is unbeaten at home in seven Serie A matches against the Milanese giants.

As last season's Coppa Italia winners and Champions League finalists, the Nerazzurri secured their place in the Champions League last 16 with a goalless draw against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian on Tuesday, concluding their Group D campaign.

Leading perennial rivals Juventus by a single point at the Serie A summit, Inter showcased their dominance with wins over Scudetto-holders Napoli and struggling Udinese, accumulating seven goals without conceding. Notably, Inter has achieved more victories combined with a clean sheet (10) than any other club across Europe's top five leagues in the 2023-24 season. With an average of 2.47 goals scored per game and conceding at an impressive rate of 0.47, Inzaghi's tactically adept side is the only team to rank in the top five for both metrics.

Having suffered only one defeat in all competitions and maintaining an unbeaten run since September, Inter has achieved 12 wins in their first 15 Serie A matches, a feat accomplished only three times before in their storied history. Nevertheless, securing a victory against Lazio away from home has eluded Inzaghi's team thus far.