Inter eye ninth perfect start as Serie A returns with Milan and Napoli tests

The fourth round of the Serie A season begins on Friday with Venezia hosting Fiorentina, while champions Inter Milan will aim to maintain their perfect record when they welcome Udinese on Monday.

The weekend’s biggest match sees Lazio face Milan on Saturday. Juventus travel to Sassuolo on Sunday, when Napoli host Bologna, before Inter complete the round against Udinese.

According to Opta, Inter have won 18 of their past 23 Serie A meetings with Udinese, drawing twice and losing three times. Only Roma, with 19 victories since the start of 2015, have beaten Udinese more often during that period.

Udinese did win their most recent away match against Inter, ending a run of seven successive defeats at San Siro. Inter, meanwhile, have won their first three league matches this season and can open a campaign with four victories for the ninth time, and for the sixth time in the 21st century. Their previous such starts came in 2002-03, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2023-24.

Napoli will host Bologna, who have won their past two meetings with the reigning champions, having managed only one victory in their previous 11 encounters, alongside four draws and six defeats.

Napoli have won nine of their last 12 home matches against Bologna, losing the other three. However, they have failed to score in three of their past six meetings after finding the net in 20 consecutive games against them, a sequence in which they scored 55 goals at an average of 2.75 per match.

Bologna are one of six teams yet to win in Serie A this season, having drawn once and lost twice while scoring only two goals. Napoli striker Rasmus Højlund has scored in four of his last five league appearances, including his past two against Como and Inter. He could score in at least three successive matches for the third time in Europe’s top five leagues, having previously done so for Atalanta in January 2023 and Manchester United between December 2023 and February 2024, when he scored in six consecutive games.

Juventus drew 1-1 with Sassuolo in their last meeting in March, ending a run of nine matches between the sides without a draw. Juventus won six of those games and Sassuolo three.

Sassuolo have won two of their last three home fixtures against Juventus, compared with only one victory in their first nine such matches, when they also drew twice and lost six times. Opta says Juventus have beaten Sassuolo more than any other Serie A opponent, with 16 victories, and have scored more goals against them than against any other team, with 56.

Lazio have won two of their last three matches against Milan, matching their total from the previous 10 meetings, which included one draw and seven defeats. Lazio have not won consecutive Serie A games against Milan since 2012. Across 166 league meetings, Milan have won 73, Lazio 33 and the teams have drawn 60 times. Since 2012, Lazio have recorded seven wins in 15 home matches against Milan, with four draws and four defeats.

Milan have lost at least one of their opening four league matches in each of the past three seasons, from 2023-24 to 2025-26, after remaining unbeaten through their first four games in each of the previous three campaigns, from 2020-21 to 2022-23.

Ruben Amorim could become Milan’s first manager since Fatih Terim in 2001 to win three of his opening four Serie A matches. Overall, he would be the 12th manager in the club’s history to achieve at least three victories in those first four games.

Venezia have beaten Fiorentina 11 times in 28 Serie A meetings, with three draws and 14 defeats. Their five-match winning run at home against Fiorentina is the longest home winning streak they have recorded against any opponent in the competition.

Fiorentina have lost their first three matches this season, a start they have made only once before, in 1935-36, when they drew their fourth game. Franco Mastantuono, a Real Madrid player on loan at Fiorentina, has had 10 shots without scoring in the opening three rounds of 2026-27. Among players yet to score, he is joint-third for attempts alongside Mattia Zaccagni and Douglas Luiz, behind only Paulo Dybala on 13 and Armand Lauriente on 16.