Now level on points atop the Serie A standings, Inter Milan will try to get their Scudetto defence back on track when hosting Roma on Sunday.
After allowing Napoli to catch them by slipping up in Bologna, Inter exited the Coppa Italia to city rivals AC Milan in midweek; meanwhile, their counterparts from the capital are enjoying a long unbeaten streak.
Match preview
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Since beating Bayern Munich to set up an enticing Champions League semi-final clash with Barcelona, a visibly tiring Inter side have seen their hopes of a domestic double brutally ended.
Days after succumbing to a last-gasp strike against Bologna in Serie A, the Nerazzurri failed to beat old foes Milan for a fifth time this term, with Wednesday's 3-0 loss sending them packing from the Coppa Italia.
Beaten 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals, the Nerazzurri - who also lost to their Rossoneri rivals in January's Supercoppa decider - suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.
It is two years since they last did so in Serie A, but amid growing concerns about their form and fitness, Simone Inzaghi's ageing squad are in danger of meeting that fate this weekend.
With a 13-game undefeated streak now left behind them - and leaking an unusual amount of goals - Inter are level on 71 points with sole challengers Napoli in a tight title race, and they cannot afford to make more mistakes.
So, fans of the Nerazzurri may hope to draw on precedent rather than recent form as Roma arrive at San Siro: Sunday's hosts have won three of their last four home games against the Giallorossi.
In fact, Inter could win five consecutive league matches against Roma for just the third time in their long history, most recently achieving such a feat back in 1978.
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Meanwhile, Roma have prevailed in just one of the clubs' last 15 top-flight meetings, losing no fewer than seven of the last eight - including October's reverse fixture.
This time, though, they head for Italy's second city with form on their side, having put together a 17-game Serie A unbeaten streak that dates back to December.
Having notched up 12 wins during that run, the Giallorossi could go 18 without losing in the league for the first time since a run of 24 between November 2009 and April 2010, when current interim coach Claudio Ranieri was also at the helm.
Since starting a third and final spell in charge of his boyhood club, Ranieri - who once had a brief but unsuccessful stay at Inter - has serenely led them away from the bottom half and into European contention.
Back in the mix for a top-four finish, Roma's revival has been impressive: having followed a draw in the recent Derby della Capitale by beating Hellas Verona last week, they are within three points of the Champions League places.
Indeed, the Giallorossi have accrued more points than Inter or any other Serie A side in 2025, so they will only have history to fear on Sunday.
Team News
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Inter's hectic schedule continues, as the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona is up next. So, Simone Inzaghi may rotate his remaining resources - particularly after such a chastening defeat in the Derby della Madonnina.
Though Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski are both back in training, Inzaghi's options will be limited by one-match bans for regular starters Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, while Marcus Thuram is again ruled out.
In the latter's absence, Joaquin Correa, Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi are all contenders to start alongside Lautaro Martinez up front; with Dumfries still short of fitness, Roma loanee Nicola Zalewski could deputise if veteran wing-back Matteo Darmian needs a rest.
Elsewhere, Yann Sommer should supplant Josep Martinez in goal, while Hakan Calhanoglu takes the place of Kristjan Asllani in central midfield.
Despite Claudio Ranieri's well-known propensity to tinker, Roma should name a more settled side, with the main doubt regarding who will lead their attack.
Scorer of the winning goal against Verona last week, in-form Eldor Shomurodov must hold off competition from main marksman Artem Dovbyk.
Only Saud Abdulhamid, star man Paulo Dybala and Danish defender Victor Nelsson are unavailable, as captain Lorenzo Pellegrini has fully recovered from a shoulder injury.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Augusto; Zalewski, Barella, Calhanoglu, Frattesi, Dimarco; Arnautovic, Martinez
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Cristante, Paredes, Kone, Angelino; Soule; Dovbyk
We say: Inter Milan 1-1 Roma
Roma have the best defensive record this calendar year - conceding just eight goals in Serie A - while no team has scored more than Inter's 27 so far.
So, a fascinating contest is on the cards, with the faltering Nerazzurri perhaps having to settle for a draw against much-improved opponents.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
