Simone Inzaghi still expects Inter to put their best foot forward as he anticipates a tough test against struggling Roma on Sunday.

Roma have won just two of their nine games across all competitions this season, though Ivan Juric's side are unbeaten in their last three home outings.

Inter, meanwhile, slipped down to third following Juventus' win on Saturday, and are looking for a fourth win on the bounce following their 2-1 derby defeat to Milan. 

And even though they face a side still in search of their best form, Inzaghi has warned Inter that they cannot let their guard down. 

"We know what kind of opponent we are going to face," Inzaghi told Inter TV on Saturday.

"We've faced [coach Ivan] Juric many times in recent years, he is clearly bringing his philosophy to Roma, and we must be ready to put in a good performance, both with and without the ball. [Achieving] it will take a great Inter."

Inter will be without injured midfielders Piotr Zielinski and Kristjan Asllani, though the pair have featured minimally for Inter so far, with the former only playing 68 minutes in Serie so far this season.

"The international break shouldn't influence us. Before the break we had three wins, we need to continue on our path," Inzaghi said.

"We've got many players who have played many minutes, others like Lautaro [Martinez] and [Mehdi] Taremi who have flown far but come back in quite well, all except Zielinski who returned with a slight injury and will not play.

"Asllani picked up a slight knock to his knee and also won't be available, but [Thomas] Berenbruch will be in the squad, a promising talent from [our under-19 team], so we won't have any issues."

Inter have a busy week ahead of them, returning to Champions League action on Wednesday to face Young Boys before hosting Juventus in Serie A next weekend. 

Despite the packed schedule between the two international breaks, Inzaghi is determined to take it one game at a time.

"We know that we're about to play seven games in 20 days, so we need to do well but at the moment, the only concern for myself and the squad is to prepare well for the game against Roma [on Sunday]," he added.

"We will try to draw on the entire squad knowing that many of the lads try to cause me and my staff trouble on a daily basis when making our selections." 

Matteo Darmian and Hakan Calhanoglu scored either side of half-time to ensure Inter's Serie A title defence got back on track with a 2-0 victory over Lecce.

Inter, who started their campaign with a draw against Genoa on the opening day, marked their final season at the San Siro in style to move top of the early-season standings.

Darmian opened the scoring for Simone Inzaghi's side in the fifth minute, being the first to react to Mehdi Taremi's effort to head beyond Wladimiro Falcone. 

Despite dominating proceedings, the hosts had to wait until the 69th minute to double their advantage on home soil. 

Inter were awarded a penalty after Kialonda Gaspar fouled Marcus Thuram in the area, with Calhanoglu making no mistake to maintain his perfect record from 12 yards. 

The defending champions continue their quest to retain their crown next weekend against Atalanta, who face Torino on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Inter respond to opening day disappointment

After an underwhelming display in their opening game, Inter produced a performance similar to the ones they showcased during their 20th Serie A success. 

Calhanoglu's penalty was his 17th successful spot-kick for the club, with no player having recorded a longer streak of penalties converted in a row in Italy's top flight since the data has been available (since 2005/06 - followed at 16 by Giampaolo Pazzini, between 2012 and 2020).