Now Napoli’s nearest challengers in the Serie A standings, Inter Milan aim to take a greater grip on second spot in their latest league outing, as they tackle struggling Sampdoria on Monday.

The teams meet at Marassi with Inter having won their second Milan derby in short succession, while Samp suffered a heartbreaking twist in stoppage time to squander two precious points against Monza.

Although they ended a five-match losing streak in all competitions, a stoppage-time penalty denied Sampdoria victory over Monza in a 2-2 draw last time out.

Wins are becoming a priceless commodity for Dejan Stanković’s relegation-threatened side, whose 11-campaign Serie A (SA) stay is at serious risk of coming to an end, though one positive to come out of the Monza game was that the league’s lowest scorers (ten) scored multiple goals for only the second time this campaign!

The hosts will hope that fires them into a goalscoring spree as they haven’t scored in six straight top-flight home games for the first time since March 1976 (L6). Another goalless defeat here would see Sampdoria break a new record, as it would mark three consecutive SA matches against Inter Milan without scoring for the first time since 1950, having lost the last two 3-0.

Not only clinching another success in the Derby della Madonnina but also securing his team’s status as Serie A’s ‘best of the rest’, Lautaro Martinez struck again last Sunday to earn Inter a 1-0 win over arch-rivals Milan.

Having also capped off the Nerazzurri’s Supercoppa Italiana triumph over their old foes last month, the World Cup winner has now scored 12 goals in 21 top-flight fixtures this term – and each of Inter’s last five in the league.

Heaping more misery on their Rossoneri rivals continued a bright start to 2023 for Simone Inzaghi’s side, who have not only beaten Milan twice but also consigned league leaders Napoli to their only defeat of a sparkling Serie A campaign.

Key battle: Filip Đuričić may get Sampdoria on the board as he’s contributed three times (G1, A2) across his last six league games against Inter. All-action visiting defender Francesco Acerbi will look to thwart him and offer a threat of his own, with Inter’s centre-back boasting a personal-high goals (four) as well as yellow cards (four) against Sampdoria in all competitions.

Hot stat: Four of Inter’s last six away league match openers have come within the first 15 minutes.

Yet to win at home in Serie A under either Stankovic or predecessor Marco Giampaolo, Samp could be bound for Serie B come June if something does not change soon – but their fixture list hardly gets any easier, with in-form Bologna and then Lazio still to come before the end of February.

Sampdoria Serie A form:

WLLLLD

Sampdoria form (all competitions):

LLLLLD

Inter Milan Serie A form:

WDWLWW

Inter Milan form (all competitions):

WWLWWW