AS Roma have won all four of their Serie A matches and have conceded just once. Inter arrive with a far less forgiving run of form, having won 23 of their last 30 league matches and lost only once. The meeting at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 September is a proper early test of whether Roma's start can hold up against a side that keeps grinding out results.
Roma's start and Inter's response
Roma's numbers are tidy in the right way. They have 12 league goals as well as that single concession, which gives them the kind of balance you usually need if you are going to stay near the top for long.
Inter have been doing the same thing over a longer run. They were also involved in a 5-3 win over Udinese and a 3-2 win over Napoli, which fits the pattern of a team that can score when a match opens up and still find a way through when it gets messy. Lautaro Martínez has only two league goals this season, which is a reminder that Inter's threat is not coming from one player alone.
Gian Piero Gasperini said Roma are playing in “a different vein of form this season, both in attack and defence.” That matches what the results show, even if Inter's longer league run still looks the stronger body of work.
Malen's scoring run
The individual subplot belongs to Donyell Malen. He has scored 20 goals in 22 Serie A appearances since his Roma debut, and he leads the league scoring charts with six goals.
That kind of return makes him the obvious player Inter have to manage most carefully. He is not carrying Roma alone, but he has become the clearest finishing outlet in a side that is winning without wasting time in front of goal.
Cristian Chivu called the match “extremely important in determining how far he can take his team.” He is right to see it that way. Roma have the cleaner start, Inter have the longer track record, and the winner on Saturday night gets an early point in the title-race argument at the AS Roma vs Inter fixture.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
