One of the most highly-anticipated fixtures on the Serie A calendar pits Napoli and Inter against each other on Sunday evening. While the blockbuster clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona means nothing to the hosts, the visitors have yet to achieve their domestic goals.
Luciano Spalletti’s men have seemingly taken their foot off the gas since being crowned Serie A champions for the first time since 1990. Complacency has infiltrated the Napoli ranks, as witnessed by a 2-0 defeat to top-flight debutants Monza last weekend. But despite only winning once in four league games in the lead-up to this fixture (D2, L1), the Partenopei are still a team to beat.
Victor Osimhen converted the second penalty to give Napoli a 1-0 win over Fiorentina in their most recent home outing in Serie A and arrest an underwhelming three-match winless run at the Maradona (D2, L1). Though Spalletti’s men have only lost two of their 17 top-flight home games this season (W12, D3), it’s worth noting both those defeats came at the hands of the current top-five sides.
After Milan and Lazio silenced Naples, Inter will be looking to do the same and all but cement another top-four finish and, more importantly, a place in next season’s Champions League. Simone Inzaghi’s lads still have an alternate route into Europe’s most prestigious competition after ousting the Rossoneri 3-0 on aggregate in their Champions League semi-final tie.
However, beating runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in the grand final looks like a formidable task, emphasizing the significance of landing a top-four finish in Serie A. Last season’s runners-up start this round in third, five points clear of fifth-placed Milan, with only three games left.
That’s not to mention the importance of maintaining momentum ahead of their upcoming Coppa Italia title decider against Fiorentina. So plenty is at stake for Inter.
Match Preview
Napoli
Despite netting a league-high 70 times in Serie A this season, goals have been at a premium for Napoli since the start of April. Barring a 2-1 win at Lecce on April 7, Spalletti’s men have bagged one goal or fewer in six of their last seven league outings. Following a scoring blank at Monza last time out, they could go back-to-back league matches without finding the net for the first time this term.
However, Spalletti’s champions have excelled in high-profile fixtures in 2022/23, winning a league-high eight out of 11 encounters against top-seven opponents (L3). Yet, Inter inflicted one of those three defeats on Napoli, running out 1-0 victors at Giuseppe Meazza in January. Avenging that result would see the Partenopei beat all 19 opposition in a single Serie A season for the first time in the club’s history.
Player to Watch: Victor Osimhen
With 23 goals under his belt, Osimhen will likely lift the Capocannoniere award this season as second-placed Lautaro Martinez sits three behind. But the Nigerian has drawn a blank in all four Serie A appearances against Inter, so motivation shouldn’t be in short supply for the coveted striker.
Inter
Since a 3-3 home draw against Benfica in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie in mid-April sealed Inter’s progression into the semi-finals, Inzaghi’s high-flyers have hit a purple patch. The Nerazzurri have since strung together eight straight wins in all competitions, with six of those triumphs yielding multi-goal margins, including a 2-0 thumping of Roma on their last Serie A travel.
Excluding other competitions from the equation, Inter have won their last five league matches by an aggregate score of 18-3, underlining the level of confidence streaming through their veins ahead of this trip. However, Naples hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Nerazzuri by any stretch of the imagination. They’ve only won once in their last 16 top-flight visits to Napoli (D6, L9).
Player to Watch: Lautaro Martinez
After scoring in Inter’s 4-2 demolition of Sassuolo last weekend, Martinez (20) is one goal away from equalling his personal record in one Serie A campaign (21). He’s enjoyed himself against Napoli, netting four times against the Partenopei in the league.
Team News
Hirving Lozano has joined long-term absentee Mario Rui on the sidelines, but the two should be the only missing players for Napoli on Sunday. That’s provided Spalletti fields Osimhen, who has had some issues with illness in the past couple of days.
As for Inter, Dalbert and Milan Skriniar are no longer the only first-team stars in the treatment room. Henrikh Mkhitaryan picked up a thigh injury in a 1-0 win at Milan in midweek Champions League action and will have to sit out this showdown.
Napoli vs Inter Potential Lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mathias Olivera; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Elif Elmas, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Inter (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku.
Napoli vs Inter Prediction
Unless Napoli can overcome ongoing problems with complacency, Inter’s impressive run of form may continue at the Maradona. But we expect the luster of this fixture to be an added motive for Spalletti’s team to get back to winning ways.
We’re undecided on whom to give the upper hand, but a goal-glutted contest could be in store, given both teams’ firepower.
Prediction: Draw
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