Napoli will host Inter Milan at Stadio Maradona, aiming to halt their four game winless run and reclaim lost ground in the Serie A title race. Inter Milan arrive in Naples with momentum on their side, having bounced back from a Derby d’Italia defeat with a 1-0 win over Genoa, followed by Coppa Italia success against Lazio.
A dismal February saw Napoli drop crucial points, most recently was their 2-1 loss to Como and with only three points from their last four games Antonio Conte's side surrendered their top spot to their upcoming opponents. No team under Conte has ever gone five straight Serie A matches without a win making this game a crucial test against his former club. Napoli’s recent struggles against Inter will not help as they have managed just one victory in their last 11 league encounters. However, with the support of their home crowd and a pressing need to bounce back they will be desperate to reverse their recent fortunes.
Now leading the table ahead of Atalanta and Napoli the Nerazzurri have a golden opportunity to establish a four point lead with 11 games remaining. Inter’s record at Stadio Maradona offers encouragement having lost just once in their last five league games. Simone Inzaghi’s side remain in contention for a potential treble with a Champions League last 16 tie against Feyenoord on the horizon and a Coppa Italia semi final clash with Milan. Inter have been unstoppable in attack this season scoring a joint best 59 times along side Atalanta. But a tough schedule is ahead as they will need to travel to the Netherlands in only four days time of their game against Feyenoord.
David Neres and Pasquale Mazzocchi remain sidelined, while Bournemouth loanee Philip Billing is set to replace Anguissa in midfield alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay. Up front, Giacomo Raspadori is likely to partner Romelu Lukaku who will face his former club after scoring 57 goals in 97 Serie A appearances for Inter.
For the visitors Matteo Darmian joins Carlos Augusto and Nicola Zalewski on the injury list while Yann Sommer remains out for another two weeks. Inter’s attack will feature Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram with Marko Arnautovic and Mehdi Taremi providing options from the bench.
Napoli possible lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Billing, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Raspadori, Lukaku
Inter Milan possible lineup: J. Martinez; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez
