Roma-Inter Milan Derby Steals the Spotlight on Saturday
The eyes of Italian and global football fans are turning to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy’s capital, on Saturday, when Roma hosts Inter Milan in the top match of the fifth round of the Italian Serie A.
The two teams meet in the round’s headline clash, level on points with 12 each after winning their first four matches.
However, Roma holds the edge over last season’s champions on goal difference, having scored 12 goals and conceded just one, while Inter Milan has scored 13 but conceded six, giving Roma the advantage.
Of the 12 goals Roma has scored this season, Dutch forward Donny van de Beek—referred to in the source as Doniel Malin—has netted six, leading the league’s top-scorers list after a fiery start to the new campaign.
Beyond Malin, coach Gian Piero Gasperini deserves credit for the team’s strong start, bolstered by Argentine star Paulo Dybala, his compatriot Matías Soulé, standout goalkeeper Mil Svilar, French midfielder Manu Koné, and other young talents who have contributed to this impressive opening stretch.
On the other side, no team appears capable of stopping Inter Milan this season. The reigning champions kicked off their title defense with a 4-1 victory over Monza, followed by a clean-sheet win against Cagliari, before staging a remarkable comeback against Napoli, winning 3-2 after trailing 2-0 at home in front of their fans.
A similar scenario unfolded in the previous round against Udinese, where the visitors took a two-goal lead before Inter Milan scored five consecutive goals, with Udinese eventually adding a third.
Romanian coach Cristian Chivu, Inter Milan’s manager, relies on a roster of major stars in the blue-and-black squad, including Argentine captain Lautaro Martínez, who benefits from a formidable attacking partnership featuring Frenchman Marcus Thuram and young Italian international Francesco Pio Esposito.
Inter Milan leads the head-to-head record between the two sides, with 78 Serie A victories to Roma’s 51, and 55 draws.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Inter Milan has won 29 matches against Roma, but the capital’s club holds the better home record, having defeated Inter Milan 37 times at this venue.
Roma has not beaten the blue-and-black side at the Stadio Olimpico since a 2-1 victory at the same ground in October 2016.
Roma’s last Serie A win over Inter Milan dates back to October 2025, when the capital’s club secured a clean-sheet victory at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
In other matches this round, Udinese face Cagliari, Bologna meet Torino, and Venezia take on Lazio.
