Inter-Napoli is a match of the twenty-ninth day of Serie A and is played on Sunday at 8:45 p.m.: odds, predictions, live TV, streaming.
Inter and Napoli were two protagonists (on the negative side) in the three-day European cup series that sent the round of 16 to the archives. Both engaged in the Champions League against Spanish teams Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the Nerazzurri and Azzurri found themselves out of the most prestigious competition.
But if Francesco Calzona’s team needed a miracle to make it to the quarterfinals, and that is to go and win in Catalonia after the 1-1 first leg, Inter Milan’s flop, ousted by the Colchoneros on penalties (2-1), made far more noise. Yet Simone Inzaghi’s men would have been satisfied with even a draw to get through the round – they had won 1-0 in the first leg – but they had not reckoned with the resilience of the Madrid men, who were able to come back against Serie A’s undisputed leader, who took the lead after half an hour through Dimarco. First Griezmann and then Depay dragged the match into extra time. And then in penalties it was Oblak who neutralized Sanchez and Klaassen’s shots and disoriented Lautaro Martinez, who shot high. The disappointment is obviously enormous. Especially for a team that had shown no weaknesses in the last two months, both in Italy and in Europe, winning 13 consecutive games and mortgaging the Scudetto and the second star.
Inter, now +16 on the second, has only to worry about closing the games as soon as possible, with the mathematics that could come as early as April. Napoli, too, has only the championship left, but the partenopei are lagging behind both fourth-place Bologna and fifth-place Roma – 7 and 4 points apart, respectively – and they absolutely cannot slip up if they want to avoid being left out of the next Champions League. Since Calzona has been on the bench, in any case, improvements are evident, despite the fact that the rearguard continues not to provide the right guarantees (the last clean sheet now dates back to last January).
Inter-Napoli: the latest lineup news
Inzaghi could rest someone after the 120 minutes at the Metropolitano. On the bench are Frattesi and Sanchez, ready to take the place of Mkhitaryan (among the worst on the pitch in Madrid) and Thuram. On the right lane is a ballot between Dumfries and Darmian, while the defense will consist of Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni.
Formation-typical instead for Calzona, whose only doubt is on the left out, with Olivera likely to be preferred to Mario Rui. In midfield, the duel is between Traoré and Zielinski, but the re-established Ngonge is also a candidate for a starting shirt.
The prediction
There is some unknown about Inter, fresh off their first major disappointment of the season. The Nerazzurri, however, have already prevailed twice over Napoli this season. First the 3-0 win last December in the league and then the 1-0 victory in Riyadh in the Italian Super Cup final. Impossible, then, not to consider them favorites on this occasion as well. The efforts made in the cup, however, could make themselves felt, and it cannot be ruled out that the Azzurri manage to score at least one goal at the San Siro.
The probable lineups of Inter-Napoli
INTER (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro Martinez.
NAPOLI (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Zambo Anguissa, Lobotka, Traoré; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
