Sunday’s Serie A action caps off with a blockbuster fixture at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as Inter and Napoli face each other for the third time this season. Runaway league leaders seek redemption after crashing out of the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday.
Despite being minutes away from bundling Atletico Madrid out of Europe’s top table, Inter conceded late at the Metropolitano Stadium before bowing out on penalties. Simone Inzaghi’s side boasted a 2-0 aggregate lead when Federico Dimarco broke the deadlock in the first half, but the Spaniards fought back to make it 2-2 and eventually win the shootout.
Back to domestic action, where things look much better for Inter, Nerazzurri face soon-to-be-former champions, looking to get back on track after an epic midweek disappointment. With ten games to go, Inzaghi’s men harbor a handsome 16-point lead on second-placed Milan and will probably waltz away with the Scudetto before May.
However, that should not affect their ambition to pour more misery on Napoli. Like their hosts, Partenopei’s European campaign ended in midweek, as Barcelona thrashed them 3-1 in Spain. Another dismal performance condemned Francesco Calzona’s team to a trophyless season, denying them probably the last chance to return to the Champions League next term.
The situation in Serie A doesn’t offer any consolation either. Stranded in sixth, ten points adrift of fourth-placed Bologna, Napoli will need a miracle down the final stretch to secure a place in next season’s Champions League group stages. Beating Inter would be a perfect way to embark on that mission, but not even the most optimistic traveling fans believe that’s possible.
Match Preview
Inter
Despite flying high in Serie A, Inter’s confidence took a bad beat in Madrid. Their mental fortitude will have to come to the fore on Sunday if they’re to post an 11th consecutive top-flight win for only the third time in the club’s history. Enthusiasm stems from Nerazzurri dropping points in just three of their last 22 league outings (W19, D3).
On paper, this looks like a huge ask. But Inter have already defeated Napoli twice this season, trouncing them 3-0 in the reverse fixture in December before claiming a last-gasp 1-0 win in January’s Supercoppa Italiana title decider. As if that’s not encouraging enough, they’ve been victorious in the last five home games against this opposition.
Maintaining that run would see Inter take a big step toward bettering the all-time points record of 102.
Napoli
If Napoli can’t defend the title, they would likely settle for spoiling Inter’s history-making aspirations. Though they’re still searching for conviction, the visitors have shown signs of improvement under interim boss Calzona, stitching together five league games without losing for the first time this season (W2, D3).
One of those wins was a morale-boosting 2-1 home triumph against Juventus a fortnight ago. Unfortunately, Napoli failed to build on that as Torino held them to a 1-1 draw last Friday. But on a more promising note, they’ve found consistency in front of goal, tallying ten goals in four league matches in the build-up to this trip.
Calzona will need his standout forwards Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen at their best if Napoli are to score against Inter for the first time in 2023/24.
Team News
Marko Arnautovic picked up a calf injury during Inter’s 1-0 win against Bologna last weekend, joining Stefano Sensi, Juan Cuadrado, and Carlos Augusto on the sidelines. Even if fit, he would’ve likely stayed on the bench, with Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram expected to lead the line.
Osimhen’s minor muscle problem has made Calzona sweat, but the Nigerian striker will probably spearhead the attack. In fact, Napoli will touch down at Meazza at full strength after Jens Cajuste and Cyril Ngonge returned from injuries. The same goes for Piotr Zielinski, who’ll team up with Inter in the summer.
Inter vs Napoli Potential Lineups
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer; Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Davide Frattesi, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
Inter vs Napoli Prediction
Despite Calzona’s best effort to revive Napoli’s top-four charge, the visitors will probably have to seek points elsewhere. Inter are in far better shape, and we expect a comfortable win for the hosts.
Prediction: Inter Win
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