Napoli will host Inter on Monday night at the Stadio San Paolo in a clash between the two top teams in Serie A.
The Nerazzurri sit on top of the table on 30 points after 13 rounds while the Partenopei are two points behind and share second place with Fiorentina. Both teams won their previous league fixtures with Napoli winning 2-0 against Hellas Verona away from home and Inter thrashing newcomers Frosinone 4-0 on home soil.
This match will also be a battle between the two best defences in Serie A this season. Inter have conceded only seven goals and kept clean sheets in the last four games while Napoli has let in eight goals kept clean sheets in the last five matches.
Last season neither managed to get the upper hand with both games in Serie A finishing 2-2. The last time Inter defeated Napoli in the league was in December 2012, when Fredy Guarin and Diego Milito scored in a 2-1 win at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
You have to go back to September 1997 for Inter’s last win in Naples when the Nerazzurri won 2-0 with a goal from Fabio Galante and a Francesco Turrisi own goal.
The Nerazzurri will look to make the most of the week’s rest but Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has rested some of his key players. Lorenzo Insigne, Gonzalo Higuain, Pepe Reina and Jorginho did not play in the Partenopei’s 1-0 against Club Brugge in the Europa League.
Roberto Mancini is expected to change his formation despite defeating Frosinone. He is predicted to use the 4-3-1-2 with the likes of Alex Telles and Mauro Icardi are likely to be dropped.
Davide Santon is likely to still be out for Inter with an Achilles tendon injury and Geoffrey Kondogbia could miss out with a hip injury. Napoli will still miss Manolo Gabbiadini and Dries Mertens with an ankle and thigh injury respectively.
Form Guide: Napoli (W-W-D-W-W) Inter (D-W-W-W-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Higuain, Insigne
Inter: Handanovic; Nagatomo, Murillo, Miranda, Juan Jesus; Guarin, Medel, Melo; Ljajic; Jovetic, Perisic
