Roma and Inter battle for Serie A’s first top spot at the Olimpico

Voorbeschouwing AS Roma and Inter Wie set the stage for Serie A’s first title clash as unbeaten sides AS Roma and Internazionale meet on Saturday at 18:00 in the Stadio Olimpico, Rome. The victor will claim the league’s top spot and deliver the opening blow in the championship race.

Roma's unbeaten run and attacking duo

AS Roma have kept a clean sheet of points after the opening four rounds, joining Internazionale as the only unbeaten sides. Their Serie A victories have been 4-0 over Fiorentina, 4-0 at Lecce, 2-1 at Atalanta and 2-0 against Torino. A 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Fenerbahçe is their only non‑league result.

The side is guided by Gian Piero Gasperini, who arrived from Atalanta Bergamo after steering that club to a top‑three finish for the first time in eight seasons. His first season with Roma also produced a top‑three place, and he now aims to cement the club among the league’s elite.

Up front, Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala form a prolific partnership. Against Fiorentina Malen netted a hat‑trick while Dybala supplied all three assists. To date Malen has amassed six goals and one assist, and Dybala has recorded four assists.

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Inter's balanced attack and injury concerns

Internazionale, coached by Romanian Christian Chivu, also sit unbeaten after four matches. Their league wins have been 4-1 over Monza, 1-0 at Cagliari, 3-2 versus Napoli and 5-3 against Udinese.

In the Champions League the Nerazzurri fell 1-2 to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in their opening fixture.

Inter’s goals have come from nine different players, with four men sharing the club’s top‑scorer spot at two goals each: Lautaro Martínez, Francesco Pio Esposito, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Marcus Thuram.

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The squad is not at full strength. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, recent signing John Stones and fellow newcomer Djed Spence are all sidelined by injury, the latter following an individual rehabilitation programme.

Historically, Inter have dominated recent meetings at the Stadio Olimpico, winning seven of the last ten encounters and drawing three. Roma’s last home victory over the Milan side came in the 2016/17 season, a 2-1 win thanks to Edin Džeko and an own goal by Mauro Icardi.