MILAN – First meet second at the Stadio Meazza tonight. Roberto Mancini's Nerazzurri, top of the table with 15 points and a 100% record after five games, host Paulo Sousa's Viola, who sit just below them on 12 points thanks to four wins from their first five outings.
Opta have supplied us with a healthy selection of stats ahead of tonight's 2015/16 Serie A Week 6 fixture:
HEAD TO HEADS
Inter and Fiorentina meet for the 155th time in Serie A tonight. The Nerazzurri have claimed the points on 63 occasions, while the Viola have triumphed 41 times and there have been 50 draws.
The last three seasons have yielded three victories apiece in league encounters.
Fiorentina won both games in 2014/15 without conceding a goal, after Inter took six points off the Florence-based outfit in 2013/14.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN MILAN
Fiorentina – together with Napoli – are the opponents that Inter have beaten most often in home matches in Serie A (45 times).
Before losing 0-1 to the Viola in March this year, Inter had won 12 consecutive matches against them at the Meazza, scoring 27 goals in the process (2.25 per game).
The spoils haven't been shared between these two sides in Milan for almost two decades. The last draw dates back to November 1996 (2-2).
The Viola haven't scored more than one goal in their last ten league matches away to Inter, However, the Nerazzurri are the team that Fiorentina have scored most away goals against in the top flight (78).
FORM
Only once have Inter begun a Serie A campaign with five straight wins before this year. That happened in 1966/67, when they ended the season in second place behind Juventus.
The Nerazzurri have kept three consecutive clean sheets at home in the league this term. They haven't done better than that since the Treble season: they went seven matches without conceding at home between January and April 2010.
1998/99 was the last time the Viola won four of their first five Serie A fixtures. That year they finished third. Fiorenting are on a 12-match scoring streak (25 total goals, averaging 2.1 per game) and have won nine of their last ten league encounters (losing only to Torino). Against Carpi the Viola kept a clean sheet in an away game for the first time in seven attempts.
GENERAL STATS
In Europe's top five leagues, Inter are the leaders who have scored the fewest goals (just six). In the other four the current leaders have scored at least 11.
Inter (one) and Fiorentina (three, level with Chievo) have the best defensive records in 2015/16. The Viola have allowed their opponents the fewest shots this season: 46, the same number as Juventus. Mancini's side have allowed the opposition 56 shots.
The Nerazzurri's six goals this season have come from four different scorers (Jovetic, Melo, Guarin, Icardi).
Inter, Fiorentina and Verona are the only Serie A sides yet to concede a goal in the first half in 2015/16.
After Sassuolo (six) and Sampdoria (five), the Nerazzurri have scored the most goals in the last 15 minutes of matches (four).
Inter and Bologna are the only teams who haven't let in any goals from set pieces yet.
Together with Udinese, the Nerazzurri and the Viola,are the only Serie A outfits not to have had an Italian player on the score sheet this term.
Inter and Fiorentina are also the only two teams to have always taken the lead in their league matches in 2015/16. The Viola saw their first-goal advantage overturned by Torino in their only defeat this season.
After Napoli and Roma, Fiorentina (1300) and Inter (1251) are the teams who have completed the most passes in the opposition half.
PLAYERS
Samir Handanovic is one game away from making his 300th Serie A appearance.
Mauro Icardi could play his 50th league match for Inter tonight.
If Josip Ilicic features, he will reach 50 Serie A appearances for the Viola.
Adem Ljajic and Stevan Jovetic face their former club this evening. The Serbian hit 15 goals in 78 Serie A games during his time at Fiorentina, while the Montenegrin bagged 35 in 116 outings. Ljajic scored against Fiorentina in January this year while playing for Roma.
Felipe Melo was also brought to Italy by Fiorentina. He made 29 appearances in 2008/09 with two goals. The Brazilian midfielder scored his first Serie A goal in five years against Verona in midweek (the last one came in Juventus 4-0 Lecce, October 2010).
Josip Ilicic's first Serie A goal came against the Nerazzurri in Palermo 1-2 Inter in September 2010. The Slovene is in a rich vein of form, having scored eight times in his last nine matches. Before finding his shooting boots, he had managed just one in 20 games.
Nenad Tomovic's last league goal came in Fiorentina's 3-0 win over Inter at the Stadio Franchi in October 2014.
Borja Valero is the Serie A player with the second most completed passes in the opposition half this season (201), after Marek Hamsik (233).
Only Marek Hamsik has played more passes (370) than Gary Medel (333) in the league this term.
The player with most passes in his own half is Viola man Gonzalo Rodríguez (211).
Marcos Alonso has been involved in three of Fiorentina's seven goals this season (scoring two and setting up one).
COACHES
Roberto Mancini and Paulo Sousa meet for the first time in Serie A tonight.
Mancini made his Serie A coaching debut in the Viola dugout. He took over from Fatih Terim in March 2001 and remained at the club until January 2002, winning the Coppa Italia. This is the tenth time Mancini has faced Fiorentina in the top flight. His record is W6, D1, L2.
This is Paulo Sousa's first season coaching in Serie A. He played for Inter between 1998 and 2000, making 31 appearances in Serie A.
REFEREE AND DISCIPLINE
Fiorentina have been caught offside less than any other team in 2015/16 (six times).
Antonio Damato is overseeing his 148th Serie A match today and his third this season. On the 17 previous occasions when he has officiated an Inter game, the Nerazzurri have won 12, drawn one and lost four. Fiorentina have had Damato 22 times in Serie A before, with 11 wins, and ten defeats.
SUSPENDED
Inter: -
Fiorentina: -
ONE BOOKING AWAY FROM SUSPENSION
Inter: -
Fiorentina: -
