It will be another exciting season at the top of the Serie A table, with a number of big names competing for the iconic Scudetto. Napoli currently leads at the top of the standings, followed by Internazionale, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio and Juventus. This weekend, we are treated to a battle between the teams that could be ranked first and second at the end of the season – Napoli and Inter. But who will be the winner?
Internazionale vs Napoli – Modern Rivalry
There are many fierce rivalries and derbies in Italian football, but Internazionale vs Napoli is not one that immediately comes to mind. Of course, one of the most famous is the Derby della Madonnina (or Derby di Milano) between Inter and AC Milan. Internazionale will also host the Derby d’Italia against Juventus, which has a rich history in Italian football. On the other hand, Napoli’s main rivals in Serie A are usually Roma and Juventus. The Derby de Sole between Napoli and Roma dates back to the 1920s when they became the first two clubs in Central Italy and Southern Italy to be admitted to the National Division. But what about Internazionale vs Napoli?
This particular rivalry was born more out of league proximity than location – but then again, some of the best rivalries do exist. The history began in the 1980s when Inter and Napoli were considered the two best teams in the country and were both fighting to win the Scudetto. This was during the playing days of icon Diego Maradona. Off the pitch, there were further tensions between Napoli and Inter, mainly due to the conflict between Northern and Southern Italy. Inter, of course, is headquartered in Milan and backed by the wealth of the North. Naples, meanwhile, is the largest city in the South and as such they are often described as the biggest challenger to the big cities of the North. In recent years, there have been several fierce clashes between ultras groups from each club.
Napoli enjoyed a resurgence in the 2010s as they rose to the top of the Serie A table and began battling for the league title once again. Even though this happened during the decade of Juventus’ dominance, Napoli finished as runners-up four times under the Old Lady in just seven years. In the 2022/23 season, the team from Napoli finally ended the bridesmaid storyline by lifting their first Scudetto since 1990. With Juventus in decline, the decade of dominance came to an end, leaving Napoli, Inter and AC Milan to fight for the title. In the 2021/22 season, Napoli is in third place and Inter is in second place. The following year, Napoli won the league and Inter finished third. 2024/25 could finally be the season where we see a final one-two from these two prestigious clubs, but there is still one question that remains. Which way will it happen?
The place
San Siro – Sunday 10 November. Kick-off: 20:45 local time.
San Siro was built in 1926 and funded by Milan chairman at the time, Piero Pirelli. Nine years later, the stadium was sold to the city and Inter were accepted as joint tenants in 1947, much to the annoyance of Milan fans. This 76,000 seat capacity stadium is even named after the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, a club legend who played for Inter for 14 seasons. Last season, the match between Inter and Napoli ended 1-1 at the San Siro. However, the last five matches at this famous football stadium have ended with Inter winning four, and one draw. It’s certainly not a happy place for Napoli of late.
Form Guide
Let’s take a look at Internazionale and Napoli’s form ahead of their first meeting of the 2024/25 season.
International
Inter were unbeaten in their last six games in Serie A heading into this match, with five wins and one draw. Only Atalanta and Fiorentina, both of whom have won five in a row, have done better. Internazionale managed a 1-0 win over Venezia last time out, which took them three points closer to the top of Serie A after Napoli’s defeat to Atalanta. Thuram and Martinez have been in fine form so far this season, with seven and five goals scored respectively.
Naples
Napoli were in excellent form until last week when Atalanta came to town. They remain top of Serie A and have enjoyed a superb start to the season, but a 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta is not in Antonio Conte’s side’s plans. Despite this, they only conceded eight goals all season, and scored 18 of their own. Both Kvaratskhelia and Lukaku have started the season well in front of goal, scoring five and four goals respectively in Serie A. Lukaku has also recorded four assists, so the former Inter striker is on fire in the final third of the field.
Team News and Injury News
International: Inter enter the game against Napoli with positive injury news. Tajon Buchanan and Piotr Zielinski both returned to the team recently after being sidelined by injury. Both Acerbi and Calhanoglu were forced off with injuries in the first 30 minutes against Roma recently, but are now healthy enough to feature in the squad. Alessandro Bastoni did appear to have suffered an injury during the 1-0 win over Venezia, but it turned out to be just cramps. The only player absent is Carlos Augusto, who has been out with a muscle problem since the end of October.
Naples: Napoli enter this match with a relatively clean bill of health. Stanislav Lobotka has been out since mid-October with a hamstring injury but is expected to return in the coming days. Michael Folorunsho missed last weekend’s game due to muscle fatigue, but the problem is not thought to be serious. Napoli also don’t need to worry about suspensions.
Players to Watch
The midfield battle will be very interesting to watch at San Siro this weekend, with Napoli enjoying a Scottish revolution this season. Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour both swapped PL for Italy in the summer and have thrived under Antonio Conte. Inter, meanwhile, bring a wealth of experience with Barella, Zielinski and Mkhitaryan. Matches can be won or lost in key areas of the engine room. However, those goals will likely come from four sources. For Napoli – Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia have been in excellent form this season, scoring nine Serie A goals between them. For Inter, Thuram and Martinez are the two most feared strikers in the world, let alone Italy. The defenders will certainly have a tough job this weekend, but Inter and Napoli also have two of the worst defenses in the league.
Head-to-head record
There have been 176 matches played between Inter and Napoli over the years, but there is one team that clearly takes the lead in this encounter. Internazionale has 81 wins, as well as 43 draws, leaving only 52 wins for Napoli. In that time, Inter have scored 270 goals past their opponents, with Napoli scoring 200 goals. The top four scorers in this match were all Inter players, with club legend Giuseppe Meazza leading the way with 15 goals. In the last 10 Serie A meetings between the two teams, Inter have won 6 times and Napoli only once, with the remaining three ending in draws. At San Siro, Inter were even more dominant, winning four of the last five games. There have been 26 goals scored in their last 10 meetings, an average of over two goals per game.
Potential Implications
Inter and Napoli both have ambitions of fighting for the Serie A title this season, so we may be looking for a chance to score six points this weekend. Not only will they try to get three points, but they will also try to force their direct rivals to lose three points of their own. The difference between Inter and Napoli was very large, namely 41 points last season, but the club based in Naples performed much better this time. Even so, if Napoli want to maintain their grip at the top of the Serie A table, while sending a message to their long list of Scudetto rivals, there is no better way to do it than with an away win against the reigning champions.
Player Lineup Prediction
Let’s see what Inter and Napoli’s predicted lineups are for this weekend’s match.
International Starting XI
Summer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.
Napoli Starting XI
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; McTominay, Gilmour, Anguissa; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia.
Internazionale vs Napoli odds
Internazionale enter this match as favorites due to home advantage and their superior record last season. After all, they are the defending champions despite trailing Napoli in the standings so far this year. However, the early games of the season could bring good results – especially with Napoli being very dangerous up front this season.
International to win: 1.82
Draw: 3.70
Napoli to win: 4.25
Last season, Inter Milano and Napoli drew 1-1 in this match and you can get odds of 7.00 for that to happen again. You can bet on Inter to win narrowly 1-0 at odds of 7.00, or 2-0 at 9.00. If you think Napoli could pull off an away shock, the 1-0 win came at 12.00 while the 2-1 win also came at 12.00.
You can check out the full Inter vs Napoli odds on Betsson HERE.
Score Prediction
This is a very difficult match to decide. Napoli have been in excellent form at the start of the season, but Inter are the defending champions and have an excellent record at San Siro against Napoli. Due to the clash of these two facts, we expect last season to repeat itself, with the match ending 1-1. This match will not only be an interesting match to watch, but can also determine the storyline for the rest of the Serie A season. We highly expect these two teams to push each other to win the 2024/25 Scudetto.
Prediction: Inter Milan 1-1 Napoli
PS: The odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last Updated: 06.11.2024
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