It’s shaping up to be an exciting season at the top of the Serie A table, with many big names battling it out for the Scudetto trophy. Currently, Napoli is leading the league table, where Internazionale, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio and Juventus are leading. This weekend, we are treated to a clash between what could be the first and second place at the end of the season – Napoli and Inter. But who will come out on top?
Internazionale vs Napoli – Classic Rivalry
There are many rivalries and derbies in Italian football, but Internazionale vs Napoli is not one that immediately springs to mind. Of course, one of the lowest is the Derby della Madonnina (or Derby di Milano) between Inter and AC Milan. Internazionale also has a Derby d’Italia with Juventus, which has a history of football in Italy. On the other hand, Napoli’s main rivals in Serie A are often considered to be Roma and Juventus. The Derby de Sole between Napoli and Roma dates back to the 1920s when they became the first two teams in Central and Southern Italy to be admitted to the National Division. But what about Internazionale vs Napoli?
This particular rivalry was born out of closeness in competition rather than closeness in place – but again, some of the best rivalries. It was in the 1980s when Inter and Napoli were considered two of the best teams in the country and both were fighting to win the Scudetto. This was during the sporting season of Diego Maradona. In addition to the stadium, there was a conflict between Napoli and Inter, mainly because of the conflict between the North and the South of Italy. Inter, of course, are in Milan and have the fortunes of the North on their side. Napoli is the biggest city in the South and so they are often painted as the biggest challenger to the heavyweights of the North. In recent years, there have been some serious clashes between ultras from each club.
Napoli enjoyed a comeback in the 2010s when they climbed their way to the top of the Serie A table and began to challenge for the title. Although this came within a decade of dominance from Juventus, Napoli finished as runners-up to the Old Lady four times in just seven years. In the 2022/23 season, the team from Naples finally put an end to this bridal story by lifting the Scudetto for the first time since 1990. With Juventus suffering from a fall from grace, a decade of dominance is over, leaving Napoli, Inter, and AC Milan will compete with her to win the competition. In the 2021/22 season, Napoli came third and Inter second. The following year, Napoli won the league and Inter finished third. 2024/25 may finally be the season we see a one-two finish from these two big clubs, but one question remains. Which way will it be?
Place
San Siro – Sunday 10 November. Start: 20:45 local time.
San Siro was built in 1926 and was sponsored by the president of Milan, Piero Pirelli. After just nine years, the stadium was sold to the city and Inter were welcomed as joint tenants in 1947, much to the anger of Milan fans. The 76,000-seat stadium is also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, a club legend who played for Inter for 14 years. Last season, Inter drew 1-1 with Napoli at the San Siro. However, the last five matches played at this famous football stadium ended with four goals scored by Inter, and they ended in a draw. It certainly hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Napoli of late.
Form Guide
Let’s take a look at Internazionale and Napoli heading into their first meeting of the 2024/25 season.
International
Inter are undefeated in their last six Serie A matches this season, winning five and drawing one. Only Atalanta and Fiorentina, both of whom have won five in a row, are better in form. Internazionale beat Venezia 1-0 in the final, bringing them three points adrift of the Serie A summit after Napoli lost to Atalanta. Thuram and Martinez have been on fire this season, scoring seven and five goals respectively.
Naples
Napoli were in a strange situation until last week when Atalanta came to town. They remain at the top of the Serie A table and enjoyed a comfortable start to the season, but a 3-0 defeat against Atalanta was not part of Antonio Conte’s plans. According to him, only eight goals have been scored for them in the whole season, while they have scored 18 in their own. Both Kvaratskhelia and Lukaku have started the season well in front of goals, scoring five and four in Serie A alone. Lukaku has also assisted four times to his name, so the former Inter player is on fire in the final third.
Team News and Injury News
Global: Inter came into the game against Napoli with a good injury story. Tajon Buchanan and Piotr Zielinski both returned to the team recently after injuries. Both Acerbi and Calhanoglu were forced off in the opening 30 minutes with injuries against Roma recently, but are now fit enough to make the squad. Alessandro Bastoni was injured in the 1-0 win over Venezia, but it looked tough. The main absentee is Carlos Augusto who has been suffering from muscle problems since the end of October.
Naples: Napoli came into the match with a clean bill of health. Stanislav Lobotka has been out injured since mid-October, but is expected to return in the coming days. Michael Folorunsho missed the game last weekend due to muscle fatigue, but the issue is not expected to be serious. Napoli have no suspensions to worry about.
Players to Watch
The midfield battle will be very interesting to watch at the San Siro this weekend, with Napoli enjoying a bit of a Scottish revolution this season. Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour both switched PL to Italy in the summer and continue under Antonio Conte. Inter, meanwhile, bring a lot of experience to the table with Barella, Zielinski, and Mkhitaryan. The game can be very much won or lost at these critical points in the engine room. However, the goals will likely come from four sources. For Napoli – Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia have been in excellent form this season, scoring nine Serie A goals between them. For Inter, Thuram and Martinez are the most feared attackers in the world, not to mention Italy. The defenders will certainly have their work cut out for them this weekend, but Inter and Napoli also boast two of the weakest defenses in the league.
Self-recording
176 matches have been played between Inter and Napoli over the years, but clearly one team is leading in this head-to-head. Internazionale won 81 times under her, and drew 43, while Napoli won only 52. During that time, Inter scored 270 goals against their opponents, with Napoli scoring even 200. The top four scorers in this competition were Inter players, led by former club player Giuseppe Meazza. is in the lead at 15. In the last 10 Serie A matches between the two teams, Inter won 6 and Napoli only one, while the other three were tied. At San Siro, Inter have dominated, winning four of their last five. 26 goals were scored in their 10 matches, where two goals were scored in one game.
Important Resources
Inter and Napoli are both aiming to compete in Serie A this season, so we could be looking at the first six points this weekend. Not only will they be looking to get the three points themselves, but they will also be looking to force the opponent to drop their own three. The gap between Inter and Napoli was 41 points last year, but the club in Naples is better this time. According to him, if Napoli want to stay in Serie A, while sending a message to their list of Scudetto rivals, there is no better way to win than the reigning champions. cup.
Line of Speculation
Let’s take a look at how we expect Inter and Napoli to line up this weekend.
International Genesis XI
Summer time; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.
Napoli First XI
Merit; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; McTominay, Gilmour, Anguissa; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia.
Internazionale vs Napoli
Internazionale went into the game as the favorites due to home advantage and the biggest record in the previous season. After all, they are the champions even if they are behind Napoli in third place this year. However, these early season games really could go either way – especially with Napoli so dangerous ahead of this season.
International to win: 1.82
Draw: 3.70
Napoli won: 4.25
Last season, Inter Milan and Napoli drew 1-1 and you can get odds of 7.00 for it to happen again. You can bet on Inter to see a narrow 1-0 win at exactly 7.00, or 2-0 at 9.00. If you think Napoli can pull back, a 1-0 win comes at 12.00 while a 2-1 win is also at 12.00.
You can view the full range of odds between Inter and Napoli at Betsson HERE.
Score Prediction
This is a tough game to call. Napoli are in their prime at the start of the season, but Inter are the reigning champions and have an amazing history at the San Siro with Napoli. Due to the combination of those two facts, we will predict a repeat of last season, where the game ended with a score of 1-1. Not only can this be an interesting game to watch, but it can also set the story for the rest of the Serie A season. We predict these two teams to push each other all the way to the 2024/25 Scudetto.
Prediction: Internazionale 1-1 Napoli
PS: Odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last updated: 06.11.2024
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