The big match it served. The challenge of Diego Armando Maradona, packed for the occasion, between Naples of the former Luciano Spalletti andInter by Simone Inzaghi it is of fundamental importance, perhaps already decisive, for the purposes of the classification: Neapolitans and Nerazzurri face each other all 18, in the second advance of the 25th matchday of Serie A, given the European commitments next week, respectively against Barcelona in the Europa League and against Liverpool in the Champions League. But the tense is in the championship: Napoli, fresh from five useful results in a row (4 wins and 1 all) are second at 52 and chasing Inter, first at 53 but with one game less, fresh from the defeat in the derby against Milan after 10 unbeaten games and the semi-final of the Italian Cup, won against Roma. Overtaking challenge, therefore, for the hosts, who in the first leg saw themselves defeated at San Siro and above all lost Osimhen for a long time, after a clash against Skriniar: the Nigerian is stopped at 6 goals, Lautaro and Dzeko are respectively 10 and 11. The Nerazzurri, for their part, do not want to lose the top, waiting for the recovery with Bologna, and want to maintain or increase the advantage over their rivals and Milan, as well as avoiding a possible return of Juventus: there will be no Simone Inzaghi and Bastoni, both disqualified.
STATISTICS AND BACKGROUND – Napoli have won only one of their last nine Serie A matches against Inter (3N, 5P): 4-1 in May 2019 under the management of Carlo Ancelotti. Inter have scored in each of their last seven league games against Napoli, their best consecutive streak against this Serie A opponent since October 2000 (8). Napoli have remained unbeaten in 14 of the 15 home games against Inter in the league played since the 2000s (9W, 5N), the only exception being a 3-1 in favor of the Nerazzurri in January 2020 (Romelu Lukaku brace and goal by Lautaro Martínez). Napoli have won the last four Serie A games after a series of nine games in which they had only obtained two wins (3N, 4P) – moreover the Neapolitans have kept a clean sheet in three of these four successes, as many clean sheets as in the previous 10 championship matches. Napoli have lost three of their last five home games in Serie A (2V), since the beginning of December only Venezia (four) have lost more home games than the Neapolitans in the competition. Inter lost their last league match, against Milan, after a series of 11 wins and three draws: the Nerazzurri have not suffered two consecutive Serie A defeats since March 2020. Inter have kept a clean sheet in the last few four league away games and only four times has she reached five away from home in Serie A: in 1951, 1966, 1971 and 1972.
Inter are Fabián Ruiz’s favorite victim with the Napoli shirt in all competitions (three goals); the Neapolitan midfielder has participated in eight goals in this league (five goals, three assists) and is only one participation from his 2019/20 (3G, 6A) and 2018/19 (5G, 4A) results. Lautaro Martínez scored four Serie A goals against Napoli and only did better against Cagliari (six) in the competition; the Inter striker has not scored in five straight matches in the league, only in August 2019 did he do worse in Serie A (seven). Having scored seven goals in his first nine games of this league, Edin Dzeko has scored two in his last 13; the Inter striker scored two braces against Napoli, both at the home of the Neapolitans, in 2016 and 2018, then remaining dry in the following seven top-flight matches.
OFFICIAL FORMATIONS:
NAPLES (4-2-3-1): Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Lobotka, Fabian Ruiz; Politano, Zielinski, Insigne; Osimhen.
INTER (3-5-2): Handanovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Dimarco; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
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