At San Siro, the leaders Napoli and Inter square off in a heavyweight matchup between two of Calcio’s heavyweights.
Napoli are chasing their first Scudetto in more than 30 years, went into the World Cup eight points ahead of the pack and riding a wave of 11 straight victories in the league. Inter, meanwhile, has made a number of mistakes away from home and is currently 11 points behind their southern rivals.
Napoli finished 2022 by winning all 11 of their Serie A games, the best streak in the Italian top division since Juventus’ typically dominant run five years ago.
Prior to their first match of the new year, Luciano Spalletti’s team, which finished the first phase of their campaign by defeating Atalanta, Empoli, and then Udinese—the latter via a 3-2 victory at Stadio Maradona in November—lead the standings by eight points over Milan.
The Partenopei played several friendly matches over a lengthy midwinter break, continuing their prolific front line’s goal-scoring ways after victories over Antalyaspor and Crystal Palace and losses to Villarreal and Lille.
Despite playing both Juventus and the Nerazzurri in their first three games of 2023, former Inter manager Spalletti now guides his team to the second city as the only one still unbeaten across Europe’s top five leagues. He will hope to keep his team in that position.
In an effort to continue their so far dazzling Champions League campaign, in which stars like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen have shone brightly, Napoli will take on Eintracht Frankfurt in February.
Inter prepared for their return to competitive play with a training camp in Malta, followed by four straight victories in friendlies and a 1-1 draw with Real Betis during the World Cup break. However, they now face one of their toughest tests yet as they begin part two of their Serie A campaign.
The Nerazzurri’s pre-Christmas decline in the standings was caused by defensive lapses away from home; four road losses and 18 goals allowed attest to that. They start 2023 in fifth place.
Therefore, securing a top-four spot is their top priority as they work to qualify for the Champions League, where they will face Porto in the round of 16 after eliminating Barcelona.
Despite their difficulties outside of Milan, Simone Inzaghi’s team, which has occasionally struggled without the injured Romelu Lukaku directing their attack, still managed to win six of their final seven home Serie A games before the competition came to an end. The fact that they have scored the most goals in the first 15 minutes of play this season and that no team scored at least three goals in more home games in 2022 than Inter speaks to how quickly they can get going.
The Coppa Italia champions are now looking to continue where they left off after defeating Atalanta 3-2 in their final match of the previous season. They know that victory is essential if they are to maintain any realistic Scudetto dreams, so the stakes could not be higher.
Inter Team News
The Supercoppa Italiana match between Inter and city rivals Milan later this month may be affected by the calf strain suffered by Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has recovered from a back injury sustained in the most recent friendly against Sassuolo, is expected to start in his place.
In the hosts’ back three, Francesco Acerbi is expected to replace Stefan de Vrij, and Andre Onana will start in goal instead of club captain and longtime starter Samir Handanovic.
After his nation’s victory in the final and the ensuing celebrations, World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez has finally started working out again, but Inzaghi is anticipated to start Lukaku and dependable veteran Dzeko up front on Wednesday.
Possible Lineup
Andre Onana; Milan Skriniar, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku
Napoli Team News
Napoli have already scored 37 goals in the league this season from a variety of different sources. The most notable of them is the winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is back after missing the first half of the season with a back injury.
routine centre back In the competition to partner Kim Min-jae at the centre of the visitors’ defence, Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus are both available once more. However, Mario Rui should start at left-back ahead of Olivera as Lozano and Politano resume their battle for a starting position on the right flank.
Possible Lineup
Alex Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Jesus, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen
This match is sure to be a closely contested affair, with both teams possessing a wealth of talent. It will be interesting to see how Inter Milan’s defense handles Napoli’s attacking threat, and whether Napoli can find a way to break down Inter’s solid back line.
Overall, this match is shaping up to be a must-watch for any football fan. Both Inter Milan and Napoli will be eager to come away with the victory, and it should be a thrilling matchup from start to finish.
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