Table toppers Napoli travel to San Siro to get involved in a gigantic clash with Inter on their return to Serie A action after the World Cup break.
Luciano Spaolleti’s side have collected 41 points from the first 15 games of the season while Inter lurks in the Europa League spot after gathering 30 points from the same amount of games.
INT vs NAP Match Details
Date: 4 January 2023 / 5 January 2023
Time: 20:45 (CET) / 01:15 (IST)
Venue: Estadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
INT vs NAP Match Preview
Inter Milan start the year 2023 after the World Cup break sitting in fifth place with 10 points adrift of Napoli at the top, the next opposition for the Nerazzurri to resume Serie A action. The Scudetto chase is looking increasingly difficult for Inter at the moment if they fail to replace their performance in the first part of the season. Simone Inzaghi’s side are holding a Europa League spot presently with 10 wins and 5 losses collecting 30 points in total. They have scored 34 goals but conceded 22. However, Inter are only separated by Lazio in the top four only by goal difference and will easily regain Champions League places if results in the upcoming games fall their way. Also, four wins in five games before World Cup, with the sole loss coming against Juventus, indicates a momentum building for the Nerazzurri. The mid-season friendlies ended in flying colors with four wins in five and the other being a draw. Facing invincible leaders Napoli even at home will be a challenging task to begin competitive football again although they have won this fixture at San Siro in the last four meetings in the league since a 1-0 defeat in 2017. Inter also have lost only once at home this season with much better form than on the visits. If the Nerazzurri manage to neutralize the attacking strength of the side from Naples in midweek, they can make a better standpoint for the rest of the season.
Napoli are the only team in Europe’s top five leagues yet to lose a game this season. An incredible and unpredictable feat was achieved by Luciano Spalleti’s men who were not in title conversation at the beginning of the campaign. Ruling over the two Milan clubs and Juventus, Napoli now sits at the top of Serie A standings with 43 points amassed after a stunning 13 wins from 15 games. They carry a healthy eight points gap over defending champions AC Milan in the second. Striking a fantastic balance in attack and defense, the Partenopei has scored 37 goals mostly from the scoring boots of star striker Victor Osimhen and hot talent while conceding only 12 courtesy of Kim Min-Jae’s excellency at the back. The side from Naples will have themselves to blame if they don’t manage to win the Scudetto from here to emulate their only two Serie A-winning campaign in history during the era of the late, great Diego Maradona. Manager Luciano Spalleti wishes the World Cup break has not broken the momentum of the 11-game winning streak in the league as they take on fierce opposition Inter to begin again in the new year. San Siro has not been a happy hunting ground for the Partenopei facing the Nerazzurri with almost every record going against them. But this side have proven its mantle this season and nothing at the moment seems to stop them from their journey to glory.
Recent Form (including friendlies)
INT: WWDWW
NAP: LLWWW
Recent Form (Serie A)
INT: WWLWW
NAP: WWWWW
INT vs NAP Team News
Inter have Lautaro Martinez back in training with the club after winning the World Cup with Argentina. The forward will have to wait a little longer to move back into the starting lineup with Romelu Lukaku partnering with the veteran Edin Dzeko upfront. Marcelo Brozovic has been sidelined with a calf injury and will not return until the Supercoppa Italiana clash with city rivals Milan later this month. Although, Henrikh Mkhitaryan will return in midfield three despite picking up a back injury in the mid-season friendly game against Sassuolo. At the back, Stefan de Vrij is a doubt for the clash after having physical discomfort.
Napoli is delighted to have breakout star Kvicha Kvaratskhelia back into the fold after his back injury before the World Cup break. Striker Victor Osimhen is also ready to fire again now free from any injury issues. Centre-back Amir Rrahmani is also available again and is in contention to return to the back four. Matteo Politano and Mario Rui should get the nod ahead of World Cup returnees Hirving Lozano and Matthias Olivera respectively.
INT vs NAP Predicted Lineups
INT: Andre Onana; Milan Skriniar, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nico Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku
NAP: Alex Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-Jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
INT vs NAP Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Meret (6)
DEF: Di Lorenzo (7.5), Rui (8), Bastoni (7), Dimarco (8)
MID: Zielinski (8.5), Barella (8), Calhanoglu (8.5), Kvaratskhelia (8.5)
FW: Osimhen (9), Dzeko (9)
Vice-captain: Piotr Zielinski
Captain: Kvicha Kvaratskhelia
Stay tuned to Fantasy Football for upcoming matches.
