The Serie A’s top two sides will battle it out on Tuesday morning as Napoli host Inter in an early-season showdown for supremacy.
Napoli enter on a 12-game streak without being beaten and will be aiming to continue their strong form this season by taking pole position on the table. Meanwhile, one position higher, Inter Milan will be looking to extend their lead at the top, with a number of teams biting at their feet and Juventus also finding form.
Although not always thought of in the Serie A, this game is going to be all about the defence of both teams and who can contain the other. Inter have kept four straight clean sheets, while Napoli are one better with five. It has the potential to be a match-up of the season and one would hope that it will live up to those expectations.
Key Battle – The Goalkeepers
Although there is plenty of talent laden throughout both teams with total goal scoring ability, this match will be fought out between the shot-stoppers. Samir Handanovic leads the statistics in clean sheets with nine in 13 =, while his Napoli counterpart Jose Reina is second in the standings with seven, which was not helped by their early season defensive line.
If either goalkeeper manages to keep a clean sheet it will go a long way to winning the match, as it would be very unlikely to see a 0-0 draw. However, it may come down to a crucial save in the last 10 minutes that wins the game, or saves a point.
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Team News
For the Partenopei there are no outs from last week’s squad, however, Kalidou Koulibaly is available again for selection after sitting out last week for his suspension. One could probably also expected an unchanged squad to be named by Roberto Mancini.
Expected Napoli starting XI (4-3-3 formation): Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Higuaín, Insigne
Expected Inter Milan starting XI (4-2-3-1 formation): Handanovic; Nagatomo, Miranda, Murillo, Alex; Melo, Kondogbia; Biabiany, Jovetic, Ljajic; Icardi
Head-to-head
Over the past 19 meetings between the two teams Napoli has a lead of eight wins to six, while both teams share five draws apiece, dating back to 2007.
Previous Meetings
The last three meetings have been very indecisive between the two teams, with three consecutive draws coming after scores of 2-2, 2-2 and 0-0. In the last encounter on the 8th of March 2015, where Napoli threw away a 2-0 lead after 70 minutes to drop two points and leave with a draw.
Prediction
Although Inter Milan sit at the top of the table currently, the unbeaten form that Napoli are in will see them near impossible to stop. It will be a tight game that will only require one moment to make a difference.
Napoli 2 Inter Milan 1
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