The most important match of the eighth round of Serie A is being played tonight at the Olimpico in Rome. Inter has the task of continuing its winning streak that started before the October break in the league, while Roma needs to avoid defeat, alongside putting in a good performance, to prevent renewed speculation about Ivan Jurić’s departure and Daniele De Rossi’s return.Roma’s coach Jurić had two weeks to prepare his tactics against Inter at the Olimpico, where the Giallorossi haven’t beaten the visitors from Milan since 2016. Optimism in Trigoria has been fueled by the recovery of Paulo Dybala and the fact that Artem Dovbyk is available despite a minor knee issue.##EDITORS_CHOICE##In the Eternal City, there’s a widespread belief that Roma can only win if Dybala plays at a high level. The Argentine has yet to score from open play this season, with his only goal coming from a penalty against Udinese. Dybala’s pride is also considered a factor, as he was “wooed and then abandoned” by Inter two and a half years ago when Marotta, Ausilio, and Inzaghi chose Lukaku over the Argentine.Besides Dybala, Jurić’s surprise for Inzaghi could include a change in formation from 3-4-2-1 to 4-3-2-1 or creative personnel solutions, such as moving Ermos into a three-man defensive line and shifting Angeliño to a left-sided midfield role.🌕 Domenica sera di CALCIO! 🐺 🆚 🐍🔜 Chi vince #RomaInter? pic.twitter.com/KxQLIMU012— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) October 20, 2024 Since taking over at Inter, Simone Inzaghi has always taken all three points from his matches against Roma at the Olimpico, and he has only lost once to Jurić. The Nerazzurri will be without Asllani and Zieliński, limiting their options in midfield, where the only decision seems to be between Barella and Frattesi.Incidentally, Davide Frattesi is a source of regret for Roma, as they let him go too easily during his youth days to bring in Defrel from Sassuolo. The Giallorossi missed two chances to bring back the Italian international, and now they regret it, as Jurić is missing a player like Frattesi in his squad.As expected, Inter will field their strongest lineup tonight, while Inzaghi plans to rest his key players against Young Boys in Bern in three days for the Champions League, as the Derby d’Italia against Juventus at San Siro is scheduled for next weekend.Tense Neapolitans take the whole loot from Tuscany – Empoli fail to defend their groundOver the past eight years, Inter have become a nightmare for Roma. The Giallorossi have lost all three of their last home matches against the Nerazzurri in the league and have never suffered four consecutive defeats against the Milan club in Rome. Moreover, in their last eight Serie A encounters, Roma managed to avoid defeat only twice, with their only win coming at San Siro.The Romans have scored in 24 consecutive matches at their stadium by the rIver Tiber, and tonight’s game promises plenty of goals, as Inter is the team Roma have scored against the most (232 times), but also the team that has scored the most against them (298 times). A memorable game from 25 years ago at the Olimpico ended 4-5. Inter, alongside Atalanta, has the most potent attack in Serie A.Interestingly, Inter has scored the most goals this season in the first 15 minutes of matches (four), while Roma has yet to find the back of the net in the opening quarter-hour of any game.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 8SaturdayComo – Parma 1-1 (1-1)/Paz 45 – Bonny 20/Genoa – Bologna 2-2 (0-1)/Pinamonti 73, 85 – Orsolini 37, Odgaard 56/Milan – Udinese 1-0 (1-0)/Chukwueze 13/Juventus – Lazio 1-0 (0-0)/Gila 85 og/SundayEmpoli – Napoli 0-1 (0-0)/Kvaratskhelia 63 pen/16:00: (3.20) Lecce (3.40) Fiorentina (2.40)16:00: (5.60) Venezia (3.90) Atalanta (1.70)19:00: (2.80) Cagliari (3.05) Torino (2.70)21:45: (4.40) Roma (3.50) Inter (1.85)Monday21:45: (2.35) Verona (3.20) Monza (3.20)***odds are subject to change***
