Napoli vs. Inter Milan: Serie A Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Saturday night, at Stadio Maradona, Serie A  rivals Napoli and Inter Milan will square off in a Scudetto battle, marking the beginning of March with an exciting matchup.

Inter moved up to first place last week when their predecessors as Italian champions, the Partenopei, faltered again, losing their fourth consecutive game.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Last Saturday, Napoli fell 2-1 to Como at Stadio Sinigaglia, ending their perfect February and causing them to lose control of first position.

The Partenopei have only managed to collect three points out of twelve at this pivotal moment in the season after three consecutive draws (against Roma, Udinese, and Lazio).

Ex-Inter coach Antonio Conte will be hell-bent on preventing his former side from being winless for the fifth game in a row in Serie A.

Even though Atalanta BC is still in the championship hunt, a loss would put the Nerazzurri four points ahead with 11 games left.

While Antonio Conte's will to win is undeniable, Saturday's match will be a litmus test for his injury-plagued team, which has begun to show signs of strain after a poor winter transfer window.

Napoli will be starting from behind this time, hoping to break a terrible streak: they have won only one of the clubs' past eleven league games. Both teams were in first place before November's rematch, a 1-1 draw at San Siro.

Inter have a perfect record in their five top-flight visits to Naples, having lost only once during that period. They are sure to keep up their impressive play.

For just the second time this season, dating back to mid-September, the reigning Italian champions find themselves atop the league as we enter the 27th matchday.

Three horses remain in the race since Atalanta played lowly Venezia a few hours earlier; a victory for Atalanta would tie them on 57 points.

Last week, Inter recovered from their Derby d'Italia loss to Juventus with a 1-0 victory against Genoa. A goal in stoppage time from captain Lautaro Martinez secured their spot in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

The Nerazzurri eliminated Lazio by scoring on both of their shots on goal; despite losing last month's Supercoppa final to their local rivals, Milan, a possible treble is still within reach.

The black-and-blue half of Italy's second city might possibly experience a historic year as Simone Inzaghi's squad not only leads the Scudetto race but is also scheduled to face Feyenoord, Milan's conquerors, in the Champions League's final 16.

Napoli x Inter Milan Team News

Antonio Conte, who had great success with the 3-5-2 system at Inter, has lately resorted to it in the absence of healthy wingers; Napoli are likely to replicate that shape this coming weekend.

Although Frank Anguissa, a regular in Napoli's midfield, escaped a booking that would have resulted in a one-match suspension, Conte's decision to leave him out of the starting lineup in Como backfired when the player suffered an injury when coming off the bench.  Pasquale Mazzocchi and David Neres are also not accessible.

On loan from Bournemouth, Philip Billing will likely replace Anguissa in the hosts' engine room alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay.

Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku, who played 97 times for Inter in Serie A from 2019 to 2023 and scored 57 goals, could join Giacomo Raspadori up front.

Only Lautaro Martinez has scored more goals in more seasons than Romelu Lukaku in the last six years. However, 'El Toro' scored only one in six away meetings against Napoli, which was in January 2020.  With the return to the bench of Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi, Inter's cup attackers, his striking partner Marcus Thuram is expected to start.

Leading goalkeeper Yann Sommer will be sidelined for another two weeks with a thigh strain, while wing-backs Carlos Augusto and Nicola Zalewski will also be out with similar injuries. Matteo Darmian will also be out for a time.

Hakan Calhanoglu, who plays in the middle for the visitors, scored a penalty against Lazio last week and twice in his three league meetings against Napoli, once in the season's rematch and once at the Maradona previous year.

Our Predictions

Inter Milan to win @ 2.44 on Sky247.ng

Not only have Napoli overachieved this season, but they also have a terrible record compared to Inter in recent games, so it seems like they're losing steam. Though they, too, are not at their most fluent, the Nerazzurri have outscored their hosts 17–0 so far, with an away goal average of nearly two per game.

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