MILAN – After last week’s high-octane clash with Juventus, Roberto Mancini’s Inter side return to league action this evening with a trip to Palermo (kick-off at 20:45).
In collaboration with Opta, we’ve compiled a host of need-to-know stats on tonight’s Serie A TIM 2015/16 Week 9 clash in Sicily.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been 54 past meetings between Inter and Palermo in Serie A. The Nerazzurri have won 28, drawn 20 and lost just six.
In their last seven league meetings, Inter and Palermo have never once produced the same final scoreline in consecutive matches. Inter won the last match.
The Nerazzurri have only failed to score in one of their last 13 league matches against Palermo.
Inter’s 5-3 victory over Palermo on 29 October 2009 and the 4-4 draw on 1 February 2012 are the two highest-scoring meetings between these two sides in the league, with both games taking place at San Siro.
Between January 2011 and February 2012, Palermo managed to score 10 goals in three matches against Inter, but have only found the net twice in their last four games against the Nerazzurri.
The most common result between the two teams is 1-1, which has come up 12 times. The second most-common result is 3-0 to Inter, which has happened on six occasions.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN PALERMO
There have been 27 matches between Inter and Palermo in Sicily, with the Nerazzurri winning nine, drawing 12 and losing six of those encounters.
All of Palermo’s wins over Inter have come at home.
The Nerazzurri haven’t won at Palermo in the league since September 2010, drawing one and losing two since then. Inter have also conceded in each of their last five trips to the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
FORM
By beating Bologna away last time out, Palermo put an end to a run of four consecutive defeats. Giuseppe Iachini’s side had been pointless since drawing with Carpi on 13 September. Palermo are on a two-match losing run at home in Serie A, and have lost four of their last six matches at the Barbera. Over the course of those six matches, the Sicilian outfit have conceded 13 goals, including four in their last home match, against Roma.
Inter have picked up two points from their last three matches after two consecutive draws against first Sampdoria and then Juventus: the 0-0 draw with the Bianconeri was the Nerazzurri’s first goalless draw this season. Inter are unbeaten in six of their last seven away matches in Serie A (five wins, one draw). Mancini’s side have scored in all but one of their last 12 Serie A away days.
GENERAL
Palermo have scored the most headed goals of any Serie A side this season, with five in the first eight matches of the current term.
That said, Inter are one of three sides (alongside Fiorentina and Frosinone) not to have conceded a header.
Palermo are one of only four sides not to have scored from outside the area this season – the Rosanero have scored all ten of their goals from set pieces or from inside the area.
Inter have not conceded a goal from outside the area this season. All six of the goals conceded by the Nerazzurri have come from inside the area (five from open play, one from the penalty spot). The Nerazzurri haven’t scored in the first 30 minutes of a match once this season. Both Inter and Palermo have scored three times in the last 15 minutes of their matches, the best record in Serie A in this regard.
Three of Palermo’s ten goals this season have been scored by defenders, a figure matched only by Hellas Verona.
Palermo have hit the woodwork six times this season, making them the unluckiest team so far this term. Coincidentally, Inter and Palermo shared this dubious honour in 2014/15 after hitting the woodwork 20 times each.
PLAYERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Nobody has assisted more goals than Palermo’s Franco Vázquez so far this season (4). As it happens, Vázquez has also hit the woodwork more times than any other player this year (2). Vázquez has committed most fouls this season (22) but is also the most-fouled player in the league (44).
Oscar Hiljemark is Palermo’s leading scorer with three goals. The Swede has also made one assist. After Vázquez (5), Hiljemark has had an active role in more goals than any other player (4).
Achraf Lazaar has delivered the most crosses from open play in Serie A this season (49), alongside Gomez.
No defender can better Giancarlo Gonzalez’s goal tally of two goals this season.
Stevan Jovetic scored a brace the last time he played Palermo away (Fiorentina 3-0 Palermo in December 2012).
Mauro Icardi is, alongside Luca Toni, the Serie A player to have scored most away goals in 2015.
Gary Medel has made the third-highest number of passes this Serie A season with 510. In second place is Marek Hamsik (523) and leading the way is Miralem Pjanic with (520).
Rodrigo Palacio scored a brace against Palermo on 22 January 2012 when playing for Genoa.
Rodrigo Palacio has neither scored a goal nor assisted a team-mate in any of the first seven Serie A matches of the season. Last season the Argentine had to wait 14 matches for a goal but went on to end the season with eight goals and five assists.
Alberto Gilardino has scored seven goals in 23 matches against Inter. He scored a brace against the Nerazzurri on 1 April 2012 when playing for Genoa, with both goals coming from the penalty spot.
Enzo Maresca also has a goal against Inter to his name, way back on 6 October 2002 when Maresca was a Piacenza player. The midfielder has played Inter seven times, drawing one and losing the other six.
Palermo are Jonathan Biabiany’s preferred victims: the Frenchman has scored three goals against the Rosanero, two of which came at the Barbera.
Palermo midfielder Francesco Bolzoni made one Serie A appearance for Inter in the 2008/09 season.
If he plays tonight, Andrea Rispoli will make his 50th appearance in Serie A.
COACHES
Tonight’s match will be the second match between Roberto Mancini and Giuseppe Iachini in Serie A, with Mancini winning the other meeting 3-0. Mancini has faced Palermo nine times as a coach, winning five, drawing three and losing just one of those matches. Iachini has faced Inter six times, winning one, drawing four and losing one.
REFEREE WATCH
Daniele Doveri has given the most fouls this season with 153, but hasn’t given a single penalty so far. It will be his 80th Serie A match and his fifth in the 2015/16 season.
Inter are the team Doveri has given the most penalties (four, tied with Udinese) and red cards against (three, level with Genoa and Samp).
Palermo have only won once in nine previous encounters presided over by Doveri, drawing five and losing the other three. Inter have only won one of six matches with Doveri at the helm, losing two and drawing the other three.
SUSPENDED
Palermo: N/A
Inter N/A
AT RISK OF SUSPENSION
Palermo: N/A
Inter: Guarin, Melo
