MILAN - Inter begin the second half of the 2011/12 Serie A season at the Stadio Via Del Mare, where the Nerazzurri take on Lecce - the only team yet to have won a match on their own turf in the league this term (of 9 home games, they have drawn 2 and lost 7).
Inter, on the other hand, are seeking their eighth consecutive win, a feat they last managed between November and December 2008. The Nerazzurri have won their last 7 Serie A fixtures against Fiorentina (2-0 at home), Genoa and Cesena (both 0-1 away), Lecce (4-1 at home), Parma (5-0 at home), AC Milan (0-1 away) and Lazio (2-1 at home).
Inter and Lecce will lock horns for the 34th time this afternoon. There have been 17 meetings at the Stadio Via Del Mare so far with 10 Nerazzurri wins, 4 Giallorossi wins and 4 draws; 31 goals scored by the visitors, 12 by the hosts.
The last goal conceded away from home by Inter in the league was on 26 October when they drew 1-1 at Atalanta. Since then, in the remaining 46 minutes of that match plus the games won away to Siena, Genoa, Cesena and AC Milan (all 0-1), the Nerazzurri defence has been unbreached for 406 minutes on the road."
Giampaolo Pazzini is facing the team he has scored against most often in his club career: the Nerazzurri striker has hit the net 9 times against Salentini, out of 114 total goals scored.
Claudio Ranieri and Serse Cosmi, who took over in the Lecce dugout on 10 December, are meeting as coaches for the fourth time, with previous results equal: 1 win apiece and 1 draw. Cosmi's sides scored in all 3 of those matches, 5 goals in total.
This will be the 13th time Cosmi has crossed paths with Inter. He has managed a single win, with 1 draw and 11 defeats (all 7 of the last 7 played).
Claudio Ranieri is facing Lecce in a competitive fixture for the 10th time. He has won 5, drawn 1 and lost 3 of his previous encounters with the Salentini.
