Napoli were on fire before the World Cup break. The Partenopei have won all but two matches this campaign, the other two being draws. With victories against Lazio, Milan, Roma and Atalanta, the Azzurri have opened up an 8-point-lead on closest rival Milan. A good restart to the Serie A season is crucial for all teams, but Napoli-Inter might carry more weight than any other match in round 16.
World Cup impact
Five Napoli-players represented their nation at the World Cup in Qatar. Hirving Lozano, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Mathias Olivera crashed out in the group stages, while Piotr Zielinski and Kim Min-jae didn’t go further than the Round of 16. It’ll be interesting to see how they manage their returns to club football and if they can reclaim their pre-World Cup form.
Of course, the same goes for opponents Inter, who themselves had seven players at the World Cup. For the Nerazzurri, World Cup might have had a greater impact. Denzel Dumfries and Marcelo Brozovic played 480 and 554 minutes, respectively, with the latter picking up a minor muscle injury in Croatia’s Semi-Final against Argentina. Meanwhile, Lautaro Martinez is not likely to start against Napoli. He and Angel Correa returned to Milan late after celebrating their World Cup victory in Argentina.
More Nerazzurri worries
Napoli can continue their perfect start against top clubs with a win at the Meazza. For Inter, a loss would mean their sixth Serie A loss against a top team. Zero points against Napoli would almost certainly end their chances of winning the Scudetto, while also jeopardizing a top 4 finish and Champions League football next season.
Inching closer
In the last five meetings at the Meazza, Napoli have managed only one victory while suffering four defeats. It’s a ground where Napoli historically struggles, so an easy win can’t be expected. Though a loss or draw at the Meazza wouldn’t be detrimental to Napoli’s Scudetto hopes, it could increase the pressure on Spalletti’s men. All other top 4 teams have relatively easy fixtures, so they could reduce the gap before the midway point of the season. Milan visit Salernitana, Lazio meet Lecce and Juventus make a trip to Cremona. Anything can happen in football, but in normal conditions, all three should win without too much trouble.
Juventus
Nine days after playing Inter, Napoli will face off with Juventus at the Stadio Maradona. The Bianconeri ended 2022 strongly and are now in third place, ten points behind Napoli. Juventus are also slowly getting their star players back on the pitch; Chiesa, Pogba and Vlahović, to name a few. Napoli-Juventus is always a massive match, but a loss against Inter would make the game even more important for both clubs. If Juventus win in Naples would reignite Juventus’ Scudetto dreams. All in all, a loss on Wednesday could make Napoli’s Scudetto charge a lot tougher.
Great stuff! Will be there at the iconic San Siro! FNS! 💙