Inter host Napoli this weekend – read up on the big game here!
Inter vs Napoli Odds – Preview and Prediction
It is shaping up to be another exciting season at the top of the Serie A table, with a number of the big names fighting it out for the iconic Scudetto. Napoli are currently leading the way at the summit of the table, with the likes of Internazionale, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio and Juventus snapping at their heels. This weekend, we are being treated to a clash between what could be first and second come the end of the season – Napoli and Inter. But who is going to come out on top?
Internazionale vs Napoli – A Modern Rivalry
There are plenty of fierce rivalries and derbies in Italian football, but Internazionale vs Napoli isn’t one that immediately springs to mind. Of course, one of the most infamous is the Derby della Madonnina (or Derby di Milano) between Inter and AC Milan. Internazionale also have the Derby d’Italia against Juventus, which is steeped in Italian football history. On the other hand, Napoli’s main Serie A rivals are usually considered to be Roma and Juventus. The Derby de Sole between Napoli and Roma dates all the way 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 is born more out of proximity in the league than proximity in location – but then again, some of the best rivalries are. It dates back to the 1980s when Inter and Napoli were considered two of the best teams in the country and were both fighting to win the Scudetto. This was during the playing days of the iconic Diego Maradona. Away from the pitch, there were further tensions between Napoli and Inter, mainly due to the conflict between the North and the South of Italy. Inter are, of course, based in Milan and have the wealth of the North on their side. Napoli, meanwhile, is the biggest city in the South and they are thus often painted as the biggest challenger to the Northern heavyweights. In recent years, there have been some nasty clashes between the ultras groups from each club.
Napoli enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in the 2010s when they climbed their way up the Serie A table and started fighting for league titles once more. Although this came during the decade of dominance from Juventus, Napoli finished as runners-up to the Old Lady four times in the space of just seven years. In the 2022/23 season, the team from Naples finally put an end to that bridesmaid storyline by lifting their first Scudetto since 1990. With Juventus suffering a fall from grace, the decade of dominance came to an end, leaving Napoli, Inter, and AC Milan to fight it out for the title. In the 2021/22 season, Napoli came third and Inter second. The next year, Napoli won the league and Inter finished third. 2024/25 could finally be the season that we see a one-two finish from these two prestigious clubs, but one question remains. Which way round will it be?
The Venue
San Siro – Sunday 10 November. Kick-off: 20:45 local time.
The San Siro was built back in 1926 and funded by then-Milan chairman, Piero Pirelli. Just nine years later, the stadium was sold to the city and Inter were welcomed as a joint tenant in 1947, much to the annoyance of Milan fans. The 76,000-seat stadium is even named after Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, a club legend who played for Inter across 14 seasons. Last season, the fixture between Inter and Napoli ended 1-1 at the San Siro. However, the last five games at this famous football stadium have ended with four Inter wins, and one draw. It has certainly not been a happy hunting ground for Napoli of late.
Form Guide
Let’s take a look at the form of Internazionale and Napoli heading into their first meeting of the 2024/25 season.
Internazionale
Inter are unbeaten in their last six Serie A matches heading into this one, with five wins and one draw. Only Atalanta and Fiorentina, both of whom have won five in a row, can better than kind of form. Internazionale managed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Venezia last time out, which brought them three points closer to the Serie A summit after Napoli’s defeat to Atalanta. Thuram and Martinez have been on fire so far this season, with seven and five goals respectively.
Napoli
Napoli were in some incredible form until last week when Atalanta came to town. They remain top of the Serie A table and have enjoyed a superb start to the campaign, but a 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta was not in the plans for Antonio Conte’s side. That being said, they still have only conceded eight goals all season, while scoring 18 of their own. Both Kvaratskhelia and Lukaku have started the season well in front of goal, scoring five and four respectively in Serie A alone. Lukaku also has four assists to his name, so the former Inter striker is on fire in the final third.
Team News and Injury News
Internazionale: Inter come into the match against Napoli with positive injury news. Tajon Buchanan and Piotr Zielinski both returned to the team recently after injury lay-offs. Both Acerbi and Calhanoglu were forced off injured in the first 30 minutes against Roma recently but are now healthy enough to feature in the squad. Alessandro Bastoni did appear to pick up an injury in the 1-0 win over Venezia, but it turned out just to be cramp. The only real absentee is Carlos Augusto who has been out with muscular problems since late October.
Napoli: Napoli come into the 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 the game last weekend with muscle fatigue, but the issue is not expected to be serious. Napoli have no suspensions to worry about either.
Players to Watch
The midfield battle is going to be extremely interesting to watch at the San Siro this weekend, with Napoli enjoying somewhat of a Scottish revolution this season. Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour both swapped the PL for Italy in the summer and have been thriving under Antonio Conte. Inter, meanwhile, bring a wealth of experience to the table with Barella, Zielinski, and Mkhitaryan. The match could very much be won or lost in those key areas in the engine room. However, the goals are likely going to come from four sources. For Napoli – Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia have been in incredible form this season, scoring nine Serie A goals between them. For Inter, Thuram and Martinez are two of the most feared attackers in the world, let alone Italy. The defenders are certainly going to have their work cut out for them this weekend, but Inter and Napoli also happen to boast two of the meanest defences in the league.
Head-to-head Record
There have been 176 matches played between Inter and Napoli over the years, but one team is clearly leading the way in this particular head-to-head. Internazionale have 81 wins under their belt, as well as 43 draws, leaving just 52 wins for Napoli. In that time, Inter have scored 270 goals past their opponents, with Napoli scoring an even 200. The top four scorers in this particular fixture are all Inter players, with club legend Giuseppe Meazza leading the way on 15. In the last 10 Serie A meetings between these two sides, Inter have won 6 and Napoli just one, with the remaining three ending in a draw. At the San Siro, Inter are even more dominant, winning four of the last five. There have been 26 goals scored in their last 10 meetings, averaging well over two goals per game.
Potential Implications
Inter and Napoli both harbour ambitions of fighting for the Serie A title this season, so we could very well be looking at an early six-pointer this weekend. Not only will they be looking to earn three points themselves, but they will also be looking to force a direct rival to drop three of their own. The gap between Inter and Napoli was a monumental 41 points last season, but the Naples-based club are in far better form this time around. That being said, if Napoli want to retain their grip on 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.
Predicted Line-Ups
Let’s take a look at how we expect Inter and Napoli to line up for the match this weekend.
Internazionale Starting XI
Sommer; 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 go into the match as favourites due to their home advantage and superior record last season. After all, they are reigning champions even if they are lagging behind Napoli in the standings so far this year. However, these early-season games really can go either way – especially with Napoli being so dangerous up front this season.
Internazionale to win: 1.82
Draw: 3.70
Napoli to win: 4.25
Last season, Inter Milano and Napoli drew this fixture 1-1 and you can get odds of 7.00 for that to happen again. You can bet on Inter to see out a narrow 1-0 victory at odds of 7.00, or 2-0 at 9.00. If you think Napoli could pull off an away upset, a 1-0 win comes in at 12.00 while a 2-1 win is also 12.00.
You can check the full range of Inter vs Napoli odds at Betsson HERE.
Score Prediction
This is an extremely hard match to call. Napoli are in superb form at the start of the season, but Inter are the reigning champions and have an incredible record at the San Siro against Napoli. As a result of those two facts colliding, we are going to predict a repeat of last season, with the game ending 1-1. Not only could this be an exciting match to watch, but it might also set up the storyline for the rest of the Serie A season. We do very much predict these two teams to push each other all the way for the 2024/25 Scudetto.
Prediction: Internazionale 1-1 Napoli
PS: The odds might have changed since the writing and publication of this article.
Last Updated: 06.11.2024
