Serie A records in focus as Napoli test Inter and Juventus meet Milan

Serie A’s third round brings three major fixtures packed with historical storylines, as Inter host Napoli, Roma face Atalanta and Juventus meet Milan.

Inter have scored in each of their past 16 league meetings with Napoli and can set a new record in this fixture if they find the net again.

According to Opta data, “No team has ever scored in 17 consecutive matches against Napoli”. One Inter goal would therefore give them that record outright.

Inter are also seeking a winning start to the season in which they take maximum points from their first three matches for the first time since 2023-24. They have won their opening two games.

Hakan Calhanoglu is another player with a personal record within reach. After scoring in each of Inter’s first two matches, the midfielder can become the first in the club’s history to score in the opening three games of a single season.

Napoli, however, arrive with a strong recent record against Inter. They are unbeaten in their last five league meetings, winning once and drawing four times. They have not gone six matches without defeat against Inter since a run between 2013 and 2015.

Inter still lead the overall head-to-head record, with 70 victories to Napoli’s 48, alongside 42 draws. They have scored 229 goals in the fixture, a total bettered only by Juventus.

Roma’s perfect start faces an Atalanta hurdle

Roma have made one of the most striking starts in Serie A history, winning their opening two matches 4-0. They are now one of only three teams in the competition’s history to score at least eight goals and concede none across the first two games.

The last side to score nine or more goals without conceding in their opening three matches was Juventus in 1983-84. Roma can therefore create a notable landmark of their own if they continue their flawless beginning against Atalanta.

Atalanta have proved a particularly difficult opponent for Roma, avoiding defeat in the past eight league meetings. That sequence includes six wins and two draws and is the longest unbeaten run in the history of this fixture.

Roma’s home record is also a concern. They have won only once in their last 12 league matches at home against Atalanta, drawing six and losing five.

Atalanta, meanwhile, can win their first three matches of a season for the first time since 2020-21.

Donyell Malen has scored 19 goals in his first 20 Serie A appearances. Only Gunnar Nordahl and Jose Altafini, who each scored 20 in their first 20 games, have made a better start in the competition.

Lazar Samardzic has scored in each of his past six Serie A seasons. If he provides an assist against Roma, he will become the youngest player since 2004-05 to both score and assist in six different Serie A campaigns.

Juventus and Milan contest a rare stalemate

The meeting between Juventus and Milan has a different statistical pattern to the other headline fixtures. Four of their last five league encounters have ended 0-0, including the previous two.

The match has never produced three consecutive goalless draws, while the longest run of draws between the clubs was four successive stalemates between 1973 and 1974.

Juventus have kept six consecutive clean sheets against Milan, the longest run in the competition’s historical records in which Milan have failed to score against one opponent.

Juventus won their first two games 1-0 and 2-0. They can now keep a clean sheet in their first three matches of a season for only the second time in the past 10 campaigns.

Milan, on the other hand, are aiming for a third successive victory at the start of the season. They have achieved that on three occasions in the past seven campaigns.

Nico Gonzalez has a positive record against Milan, having contributed three goals in his last four home matches against the Rossoneri, with one goal and two assists.

Elsewhere, Lazio have begun the campaign with two wins, scoring only twice and conceding no goals. It is the first time in the club’s history they have made that particular kind of start.

They are aiming to win their opening three matches for only the third time, having previously done so in 1974-75 and 2012-13.

Their next opponents, Udinese, have avoided defeat in eight of the last 10 meetings between the sides. Lazio’s record at Udinese is stronger, however: they have lost only once in their past 13 visits, winning eight and drawing four.

In the meeting between Genoa and Como, Como forward Anastasios Douvikas can match a record held by former Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, now at Galatasaray. Douvikas has scored in five successive away Serie A matches and needs a goal in his sixth to equal Osimhen’s run from 2023.