Inter-Monza: Lautaro Martinez targets historic scoring landmark in Serie A opener

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez needs one more Serie A goal to draw level with Stefano Nyers as the club’s third-highest scorer in the competition when Inter host Monza in a Lombardy derby on Saturday.

The match will be the seventh meeting between the sides. Inter have avoided defeat in five of the previous six encounters, winning three and drawing two, according to Opta.

The fixture is also the third Lombardy derby to be played on the opening weekend of Serie A in the past four seasons. Inter faced Monza in the 2023-24 campaign, while Milan played Cremonese on the opening day last season.

Monza will be attempting to overcome a difficult record at San Siro. Across six previous Serie A visits to the stadium to face either Inter or Milan, they have won only once and lost the other five. Their sole victory came on their first visit, when Luca Caldirola scored in the 78th minute to secure a 1-0 win against Inter on 15 April 2023.

The club have also never won their opening Serie A fixture. Monza have drawn one and lost two of their three such matches, including a 2-0 defeat by Inter at San Siro on 19 August 2023.

Inter’s record as reigning Serie A champions is considerably stronger. Since 1929-30, they have lost only one of 18 opening-day matches played as champions, including titles awarded by administrative decision. They have won 10 and drawn seven of those games.

That one defeat came against Venezia, who won 1-0 on 6 October 1940.

Across Serie A history since 1929-30, reigning champions have lost only once in 23 opening fixtures against newly promoted opponents. The champions won 15 and drew seven of the other matches, with Sampdoria’s 1-0 victory over Juventus on 12 September 1982 the only previous defeat.

Inter’s record in those games includes three wins – two of them Lombardy derbies against Brescia in 1971 and Cremonese in 1989 – and one draw, against Bari in 2009.

Martinez chasing Inter landmark

Martinez has scored 132 Serie A goals for Inter, leaving him one short of Nyers’ total of 133. Only Giuseppe Meazza, on 197 goals, and Benito Lorenzi, on 138, are ahead of Nyers in the club’s all-time league scoring rankings.

The Argentina international has a particularly productive record against Monza, scoring five times in six Serie A appearances against them, including two braces. He also scored six goals in six matches against newly promoted teams in Serie A last season.

Inter scored 124 goals in all competitions last season, including the FIFA Club World Cup. That was the highest scoring rate in the club’s history since the current league system was established in 1929-30.

Monza also produced an impressive attacking statistic in Serie B in 2025-26. They scored eight goals from open-play moves involving at least 10 passes, the joint-highest total in the division and equal to the record achieved by Inter in Serie A last season, alongside Como.

Patrick Cutrone contributed to nine goals for Monza last season, scoring six and providing three assists, including the qualifying play-offs. He played in 20 matches, the fewest appearances among players who contributed to the same number of goals.

The opening-round derby is being broadcast on stc tv. Serie A is available at no additional cost to customers on Baiti Fiber, Mofatter 4 and Max, and Pro 4 and 5 packages.