With their flawless records on the line, Italian heavyweights Inter Milan and AC Milan meet at San Siro on Saturday evening, when they scrap it out for top spot in Serie A.
Both have racked up three wins from three ahead of the first Derby della Madonnina of the season, so something must give when two giants of Calcio collide.
That is a feat yet to be achieved throughout the entire 114-year history of the clubs' enduring rivalry, but more pertinently, the Nerazzurri are gunning for top spot in Serie A and to strike an early blow in this year's title race.
Although they were pipped to the Scudetto by their Rossoneri rivals in 2022, Inter have since bitten back with some ferocity; including their current streak of four wins on the spin, they have scored first in each of the last 10 derbies across Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League.
Simone Inzaghi's men have made a similarly sharp start to the 2023-24 campaign, as before international football intervened they had won all of their first three fixtures without conceding a goal - scoring twice against both Monza and Cagliari before putting four past Fiorentina.
The last time Inter started with three shut-out victories came as far back as 1966, and they have not leaked a single Serie A goal since a stoppage-time strike by Atalanta in May.
Such resilience could see them in with a real shot of regaining the Scudetto - which has so far proved elusive during Inzaghi's reign - and even going one step further in Europe, having missed out by a whisker on claiming last season's Champions League crown.
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