Goals from the bench
After eight rounds of Serie A matches, four out of the Nerazzurri’s 14 goals have come from players who started the match on the bench. It’s a stat that means Mazzarri’s bench is the most prolific in the Italian top flight. Guarin has scored twice after coming on as a substitute, whilst Hernanes and Osvaldo have one apiece. There’s a similar trend in the Europa League, too; Icardi has two goals off the bench whilst D’Ambrosio has one.
Inter unbeaten at home versus Sampdoria in 18 years
The Nerazzurri have a great record against Sampdoria at home – in the last 14 meetings between the two sides, Inter have racked up eight wins and six draws. The last time the Genoese outfit recorded a victory at the San Siro came on 15 December 1996, when Sampdoria ran out 3-4 winners in Serie A. Vincenzo Montella was among the goals for the Blucerchiati, bagging a brace alongside strikes from Franceschetti and Mancini. The Nerazzurri’s goals were provided by Berti and a Branca double.
Samp play for history
Siniša Mihajlović’s Sampdoria side are unbeaten in their last ten matches, taking into account both the end of last season and the first eight rounds of this. The record stands at five wins and five draws and stems from 11 May 2014, when they were turned over 2-5 by Napoli at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. More impressive still is the fact that Samp are one of the two remaining unbeaten sides in Serie A this year, alongside Juventus. If they were to avoid defeat tonight at the San Siro, the Blucerchiati would equal their best-ever start by going the first nine games of the season without loss. The other time? The year they won the Scudetto – 1990/91 – when Samp’s first defeat was handed to them by Genoa in the tenth match of the season.
Okaka: 200 professional appearances
Tonight’s match will be a special one for Stefano Okaka as he marks his 200th professional appearance at club level. Thus far, Okaka has amassed 81 appearances in Serie A, 87 in Serie B, 12 in the Coppa Italia, 15 in Europe and four in other competitions. The Italian striker has turned out for Roma, Modena, Brescia, Bari, Parma, Spezia and Sampdoria. Okaka made his debut on 29 September 2005 – a 0-0 draw between Aris Salonicco and AS Roma in the UEFA Cup.
100 up for Rizzo
Luca Rizzo will make his 100th professional appearance if he plays tonight. The Genoese midfielder has four appearances in Serie A, 35 in Serie B, 52 in the Lega Pro, three in the Coppa Italia and five in other competitions, having worn the jerseys of Pergocrema, Foligno, Pisa, Modena and Sampdoria. Rizzo’s debut came on 4 September 2011 as his Pergocrema side beat Portogruaro 0-1 in the top division of the Lega Pro.
Draws reign supreme
Tonight will see the eighth competitive face-off between Walter Mazzarri and Siniša Mihajlović. Mazzarri has won two to the Serbian’s one, whilst there have been a further four draws. The first meeting between the two came when Mihajlović’s Bologna beat Mazzarri’s Sampdoria 3-0 on 8 March 2009 in Serie A.
Mazzarri on top
The record of Walter Mazzarri’s previous encounters with Sampdoria – the team he managed between 2007 and 2009, guiding them to the final of the Coppa Italia, which they lost on penalties to Lazio – works out marginally in favour of the current Inter coach. Of his 14 previous matches against the Blucerchiati, Mazzarri has won six, drawn three and lost five.
History against Mihajlović?
Siniša Mihajlović has taken charge of six previous matches against Inter, managing one victory, one draw and four losses. The Nerazzurri scored in every one of those matches, notching 13 times in total. However, we should not overlook the wealth of history tying Mihajlović to this fixture – on top of being the Nerazzurri assistant manager to Roberto Mancini between 2006 and 2008, the Serb is also a former Inter player. Between 2004 and 2006, Mihajlović turned out 43 times for the club, scoring six times.
