COMO, ITALY - AUGUST 18: Denzel Dumfries of FC Internazionale challenges for the ball with Robin Gosens of FC Internazionale during the FC Internazionale training session at the club's training ground Suning Training Center at Appiano Gentile on August 18, 2022 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot - Inter/Inter via Getty Images)

Inter vs. Spezia: stats and fun facts

Team

— Aug 18th 2022

2 MIN READING

Everything you need to know before the Nerazzurri's first home game of the season

MILAN - On Saturday 20 August, Inter return home to San Siro. The Nerazzurri return to field of play to face Spezia at 20:45 CEST in their second match of the 2022/23 Serie A season. Ahead of the first home game of the season, here are five fun facts about the two sides:

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Inter's first ever meeting with Spezia in Serie A came in the 2020/21 season, meaning in total, there have been four previous league encounters between the two sides. Inter have three victories behind them and one draw, with eight goals scored and three conceded. The two teams have met twice in the Coppa Italia, the last time was in the 1989/90 season, where champions Inter won 1-0 in the first round - played at the stadio Brianteo in Monza - thanks to Jurgen Klinsmann first goal in the Nerazzurri shirt.

PASSING PRECISION

On matchday one of this year's Serie A, Inter recorded the most completed passes, 523 in total. And it was a Nerazzurri player who completed the most passes successfully in the 90 minutes, the one and only Milan Skriniar with 91 passes.

DEFENDERS OF ATTACK

Federico Dimarco was the player who put in the most number of crosses on the opening day of Serie A last week, eight in total. Matteo Darmian, meanwhile, put through teammates to score three times, no other defender did better on the opening day of the season.

TORO, MR. ASSIST

In Serie A, Spezia is the only team that Lautaro Martínez has served up more than one assist in a game. In fact, against the Ligurian side, he has provided three match-winning assists for teammates. In general, the Argentinian striker has been involved in five goals in four matches against Spezia. Last season, he both scored and provided an assist in both games against the Bianconeri.

GAGLIARDINI AND GOALS

Roberto Gagliardini knows this clash all too well. The midfielder wore the Spezia shirt 14 times in Serie B in 2014/2015, scoring one goal. Inter's number five broke the deadlock last season in the game at San Siro, and seven out of 16 goals scored in Serie A by Gagliardini for Inter have come against teams from Liguria (Genoa, Sampdoria, Spezia).