Inter Milan and Monza meet for the seventh time on Saturday as the new Serie A season begins, with Lautaro Martinez also closing in on a place among the club’s greatest league goalscorers.
Inter have avoided defeat in five of their six previous meetings with Monza, winning three and drawing two, according to Opta statistics. Monza’s only victory came on their first visit to San Siro, when Luca Caldirola scored in the 78th minute to secure a 1-0 win on 15 April 2023.
The match is the third Lombardy derby to be played on the opening weekend in the past four Serie A seasons. The previous two were Inter against Monza in the 2023-24 campaign and Milan against Cremonese last season.
That equals the number of opening-weekend Lombardy derbies played across the previous 29 seasons since the introduction of three points for a victory. Those matches were Inter against Brescia in 1997-98, Brescia against Milan in 2001-02 and Inter against Atalanta in 2015-16.
Monza’s record at San Siro against Inter or Milan remains modest. They have won only once in six league visits, suffering five defeats. Their sole success was the 1-0 victory against Inter in April 2023.
Inter, meanwhile, have an impressive record in their first league fixture when starting a season as reigning champions, including titles awarded administratively. Since 1929-30, they have lost only one of 18 such matches, winning 10 and drawing seven.
That defeat came against Venezia, who won 1-0 on 6 October 1940.
Monza have never won their opening Serie A match. In three previous attempts, they have drawn once and lost twice, including a 2-0 defeat by Inter at San Siro on 19 August 2023.
Across Serie A history since 1929-30, the defending champions have lost only once in 23 opening-round fixtures against newly promoted opponents. Champions won 15 and drew seven of the other matches, with the only defeat coming when Sampdoria beat Juventus 1-0 on 12 September 1982.
Inter account for three of the victories in those fixtures, including opening-day derbies against Brescia in 1971 and Cremonese in 1989. They also drew 1-1 with Bari in 2009.
The numbers also point to an intriguing tactical contest. Monza scored eight goals from open-play moves involving at least 10 passes in Serie B during the 2025-26 season, the highest total in the division. That matched the record set by Inter in Serie A last season, when they shared the mark with Como.
Inter scored 124 goals in all competitions last season, including the FIFA Club World Cup, producing the highest scoring rate in the club’s history since the current Serie A league structure began in 1929-30.
Martinez will be one of the main figures in the spotlight. The Inter striker has scored 132 Serie A goals for the club and needs one more to draw level with Stefano Nyers on 133, which would make him Inter’s joint-third-highest scorer in the competition. Giuseppe Meazza leads the list with 197, followed by Benito Lorenzi on 138.
Martinez has scored five times in six league appearances against Monza, including two braces. He also scored six goals in six matches against newly promoted Serie A sides last season.
Monza will look to Patrick Cutrone for an attacking response. He contributed to nine goals in Serie B last season, scoring six and providing three assists, including the play-offs. Of all players who contributed to the same number of goals, Cutrone played the fewest matches, appearing in 20.
The match is available on stc tv, with Serie A offered free to customers on Baity Fiber, Postpaid 4, Max, Pro 4 and Pro 5 packages. Fans can also discuss the match and wider football news in the Kooora forums.
