beIN SPORTS

By Matthew Amalfitano (@_mattfootball)

Serie A’s late match on Sunday would normally see both Napoli and Inter contesting for the Scudetto, but that hasn’t been the case this season. While Napoli are indeed in good positioning in third, they’ve never appeared to be challenging Juventus this campaign, a stark contrast to recent seasons.  

Then there’s Inter who are continuing to rebuild their status under new president Erick Thohir as they sit in ninth place.  While it’s true that Roberto Mancini hasn’t necessarily magically turned the tides in Milan, the Nerazzurri are slowly starting to construct a working system after scraping out predecessor Walter Mazzarri’s 3-5-2 back in November.

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Napoli enter this match on the back of a tough 1-0 away loss to in-form Torino.  In his post-match press conference, a visibly charged Rafael Benitez swept the Partenopei’s poor display under the rug and chose to direct his anger at the match referees.  Nonetheless, he’ll need to re-group and prepare his men for a concentrated effort against Inter: another slip-up could see Lazio leapfrog them for third.

Pressed to make some changes after last match, Rafa will start Manolo Gabbiadini in place of Jonathan de Guzman.  It’s an obvious substitution as the latter has racked up tons of minutes and the former is in hot form.

It has to be said that Napoli’s shoddy midfield will decide the victor of the clash.  Their double-pivot often produces lacklustre defensive coverage while also not being overly involved in attacking buildup, forcing their centre-backs to pick out team-mates upfield.  A poor performance by David Lopez and Gokhan Inler would allow Inter heaps of space to attack.  If Lopez and Inler somehow play well, Napoli may have a chance.

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Meanwhile, Mancini will respond with his preferred 4-3-1-2 system and will be praying for a miracle: Inter haven’t defeated Napoli at the San Paolo in Serie A play since 1997.  Regardless of that fact, Inter will seek nothing but a win, as they could end up falling to 11th by the end of Round 26.

Regardless of the history going against his side, Xherdan Shaqiri is hopeful of Inter’s chances, “Winning at Napoli is not easy, but getting three points here would be important psychologically too. We must play well and try to grow, as we’ve got everything it takes to win.”

The clubs’ last encounter in October saw a 2-2 thriller, with all goals scored in the last 11 minutes of the contest.  Both sides’ defences are particularly shaky so expect another goal fest in this one.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

While they won’t directly go at one another, Gabbiadini and Mauro Icardi will be the key offensive battle to look out for; the pair have collectively netted 24 Serie A goals this term.  It seems as though Rafa has used Gabbiadini sparingly so far despite his fine performances—notably benching him in losses against Palermo and Torino—so supporters will be delighted to see his name in the starting XI.  Gabbiadini is a smart, agile player, capable of executing perfect one-twos while also making clever runs to create space for team-mates.  His constant presence and dangerous left foot will be tough to handle for the Nerazzurri defence.

On the other half of the pitch, Icardi will look to receive passes in from Shaqiri and Fredy Guarin and turn on goal.  Regularly operating with his back to goal, the Argentinian is capable of neat flick-ons to send team-mates into space.  As he fights to free himself in the box, Icardi’s physical nature will certainly be tested by robust centre-backs in Kalidou Koulibaly and Raul Albiol, but the 22-year-old won’t need much space to dazzle.  Icardi is an unforgiving poacher and Napoli will ultimately pay for any half-chances they grant him.

STATISTICS

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