Napoli and Inter Milan clash for Serie A supremacy as Antonio Conte takes on Simone Inzaghi for the top spot in the standings.
Antonio Conte will have been furious as his Napoli side lost momentum again, and the Partenopei finally lost grip of their top spot in the standings, with Inter Milan returning to the summit. It was a dreadful February for title-chasing Napoli, who failed to win any of their four games during the month.
After beating Juventus at the end of January, Napoli endured three successive draws at the hands of AS Roma, Udinese and Lazio. Last weekend, they suffered their most significant blow of the season, with a morale-sapping defeat at the hands of Serie A upstart Como, a game the Partenopei were widely expected to take three points from.
The fixture began in a high-octane style. Amir Rrahmani’s seventh-minute own goal set the tone early on, and Giacomo Raspadori clinched an equaliser around the 17th minute. For long periods, neither side could come up with an answer, and it was not until the 77th minute that Como’s January signing Assane Diao broke the ice with a goal that eventually turned out to be the winner. With that loss, Napoli lost the top spot to their next opponent, Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan did not have the most effective month in February, as their inability to close out games was why Napoli held the top spot. Simone Inzaghi’s men began the month with a draw against rivals AC Milan. They followed that up with a 3-0 loss to Fiorentina.
The Nerazzurri were able to correct their mistakes as they took on the Viola in a matter of days. They recorded a win this time, only to lose to Juventus in the next game. They bounced back with a narrow victory over Genoa last weekend, which, coupled with Napoli’s shock loss to Como, let Inzaghi’s men claim the top spot in the standings.
The upcoming clash away at Naples will be the most important one of Inter Milan’s season so far. A win would take them five points clear at the top, while a loss would allow Napoli to reclaim their spot at the summit and make the Scudetto race all the more spicier, making this a must-win clash for either side.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
Napoli had a few key concerns ahead of the big clash with Inter Milan, and they were already missing wide players on the trip to Como. David Neres and Pasquale Mazzocchi were missing from action, and that might be their status for the Inter Milan clash. The latter suffered a calf strain last week in training.
As a result, Antonio Conte had to change things up and deployed a 3-5-2 formation in the last two games without any success. The problem is that although Conte might be extremely familiar with the setup, the players are not properly equipped to utilise those changes in the thick of a title race.
Conte’s problems were compounded against Como, as his decision to bench Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa backfired spectacularly. The manager wanted to keep the player safe from a suspension-bound yellow card. Instead, Napoli’s star midfielder came off the bench and suffered a muscle problem, which ruled him out of the Inter Milan clash.
Philip Billing could be the midfielder to fill the gap left by Anguissa, and he will be in the lineup alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay in the midfield setup. Matteo Politano and Leonardo Spinazzola are the ones to take up the wing-back roles, as Romelu Lukaku and Raspadori take up the front-two positions for Napoli against Inter Milan.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Billing, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Raspadori, Lukaku
Inter Milan
Inter Milan do not have many key problems, although Simone Inzaghi still has a few stars missing through injuries. Matteo Darmian was the latest to be ruled out with a thigh strain, joining fellow wide-men Carlos Augusto and Nicola Zalewski on the sidelines.
Josep Martinez will continue to deputise for Yann Sommer between the sticks as the Swiss international is not expected back for another two weeks. Inzaghi’s biggest boost over the last weeks was having his top scorer, Marcus Thuram, gain full fitness.
The Frenchman is likely to start up front alongside the slightly out-of-form skipper Lautaro Martinez, who has incidentally not added to his solitary goal against Napoli, which came back in 2020. With the main strike pair now set to start, regular deputies Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi will return to their customary bench roles.
Beyond that, Inzaghi is not expected to tinker too much with the lineup, as Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco are the preferred wing-back options. The back three comprises Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastoni.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Josep Martinez; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro Martinez
Key Stats
- Napoli are winless in their last four games in Serie A.
- Napoli have only one win in their last 11 league meetings with Inter Milan
- Inter Milan will start a matchday as league leaders only for the second time this season.
- Lautaro Martinez scored only once against Napoli during his time at Inter Milan.
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
There are plenty of contenders for being the player in focus for this mammoth clash at the top of the Serie A standings. Lautaro Martinez is one of the prime candidates. However, it is Lukaku who might want to have a more significant say in proceedings and rattle the title credentials of his former side.
More importantly, Napoli need a big inspiration from somewhere following the winless month of February. Lukaku may pop up with an answer in this considerable home clash of massive significance, as Antonio Conte hopes he does it and changes the course of the title race.
Prediction
Napoli 1 -2 Inter Milan
The home side is reeling from a lack of momentum heading into this title-defining clash with Inter Milan. Antonio Conte’s men are winless in their last four games. Some key injury concerns in the side could eventually prove pivotal for the former champions, thus handing the onus to their main title rivals at the weekend.
While Napoli’s attacking power will see Conte’s men score at some point in the game, they are not equipped to win this one. Inter Milan themselves have cast doubts over their recent form away from home. However, Simone Inzaghi will have his side pumped up to take three points and open a five-point gap over Conte’s side. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 2-1 victory for the away side.
