Sampdoria vs Inter Milan

Stadio Luigi Ferraris is the venue as out-of-sorts Sampdoria take on high-flying Inter Milan, hoping to break their scoring drought in Serie A.

Sampdoria headed into September’s international break without a single point from two Serie A matches (D1, L1) as one of just two sides in Italy’s top-flight yet to touch the scoresheet this season. Curiously, though, a hard-earned goalless draw with Sassuolo on the road last time out gave Sampdoria a better two-game start to a new Serie A season than in the previous two campaigns. Hopes of getting off the mark look pretty slim, though, despite ‘La Samp‘ beating Inter Milan 2-1 in this exact fixture in 2020/21. That victory represents Sampdoria’s solitary success across their last eight top-flight H2Hs (L7), with six of their seven defeats in this sequence seeing the Genoa-based outfit concede 2+ goals. Yet, the hosts could put together two consecutive home Serie A wins over this opposition for the first time since 1991.

Unlike their hosts, Inter Milan have enjoyed a stunning start to the season under new boss Simone Inzaghi, winning both Serie A fixtures by an aggregate score of 7-1. After brushing Genoa aside 4-0 on the opening weekend, the ‘Nerazzurri‘ turned a 1-0 HT deficit into a comfortable 3-1 triumph over Hellas Verona away from home last time out. Inzaghi will be keen to mark his 400th managerial appearance in Serie A with a bang as Inter aim to maintain a free-scoring form in the domestic championship. The reigning Italian champions have found the back of the net in their last 21 Serie A outings, their fourth-longest scoring run in the top-flight. The visitors may want to improve their defensive game a bit, though, having failed to keep a clean sheet in six of their last eight Serie A matches away from home.